The Corset
Author: A'serene
Category: Drama, Romance
Rating: Adult - P18
Contents: Gibbs tries to convince Jenny she's fine the way she is.
Disclaimer: If I owned NCIS Jenny would still be alive. Sadly she is gone, therefore it still belongs to those other people.
Director Jenny Shepard stared down at the evil black and white writing in front of her. Glaring at the newspaper she ran her hand over her abdomen. No noticeable difference to her. Sure she didn't have her twenty year old body anymore but she'd aged very well, or so she'd thought. This newspaper report seemed to disagree. The small bold print seemed to jump out of the page and attack her.
It's been questioned however if the Director of NCIS is doing more than her job. Pictured left at the last State Function she attended it has become rather obvious that the Director is wanting to keep things hidden. However the Empire cut gown did very little to hide the change. A source close to the SecNav's office has indicated that there has been no mention of bundles of joy for the first female Director but also stated that given the woman's currently unmarried status she may trying to stay quiet.
The forty-six year old Director is known for protecting her agency at all costs. Including the agents in it. Speculation is that its possible she has more personal interest in keeping some teams out of trouble as well.
Jenny threw the newspaper across her office and resisted the urge to scream. She was not pregnant! Not only was it completely impossible unless immaculate conception was involved it was completely unlikely. However that did raise the fact that the media thought she was in fact pregnant which meant she must look it, which meant a weight gain. Jennifer Shepard had never been obsessed about her weight. She'd been blessed with a fast metabolism and a slim figure all her life. He figure was not stick like, but curvy and she had always thought she was healthy. As she stood though and began to pace she couldn't deny that she had thought her size 4 jeans were a little tight, but they had always been that way. Perhaps she had gained a little weight, but nothing disastrously obvious. She glanced at the picture again. She didn't see a bump, but perhaps she wasn't the best judge. Maybe she needed another opinion, or maybe she should just try on her clothes and if they didn't fit then she'd go on a diet. Yes, that's the solution. However for another good three hours she spent more time starring at the crumpled newspaper in the trash then at her work. When her door was thrown open she wasn't surprised when her old partner had marched straight in, intent on getting her to solve problem. She stopped him in his tracks.
"Jethro."
"Jen I have a bone..."
"Do you think I look pregnant?" She inquired starring at the newspaper. Leroy Jethro Gibbs went completely silent and froze half way through a pace as the question registered. He glanced over at his former partner wondering if this was a roundabout way of her trying to tell him something, in which case he already hated the lucky guy.
"I'm sorry what?"
"Do I look pregnant? Be honest," she warned. Gibbs scratched his head. She couldn't be serious. After four wives he knew better than to answer that question, even with Shannon he had simply replied that she was beautiful as always and when his ex-wives had inquired he'd distracted them, but none of those tactics would work on Jenny. First off even if he said she was beautiful (which he knew she was) she wouldn't believe him and it wasn't something he was exactly allowed to think anymore. Secondly if he tried to distract her, she would just let it bother her more.
"Is this a trick question?" He inquired. She narrowed her eyes at him and gave him a very good Gibbs' glare. "Well are you pregnant?"
"NO!" She snapped. "Why do I look it?"
"Well I don't see any glow and pregnant women have a glow so I guess you don't look pregnant."
"Very nice maneuver, now I understand why you have three ex-wives," she remarked.
"You asked."
"That wasn't what I meant and you know it." He cringed. She really wasn't going to let this go and it was better he answer than god forbid she ask DiNozzo. Ducky probably wouldn't be much of a comfort either. He had never considered her in need of losing weight, if anything she needed to gain some. She had beautiful curves that were fine the way they were and although he hadn't been intimately familiar with them in almost nine years he could tell through the clothing that nothing much had changed.
"Um...do you think you could talk to the FBI and tell Fornell to get his hounds off DiNozzo's place?" He asked trying to change the subject. After another glare that suggested bodily harm if she could get away with it she did answer.
"Fine."
"Thank you." He thought about telling her she looked fine but decided that a hasty retreat was a better idea and beat it. As he returned downstairs he could hear his team, mainly DiNozzo, whispering about an article, at the mention of Jenny's name he paid a bit more attention.
"Did you see this?" Tony asked his partner.
"I saw and I suggest your forget it Tony," Ziva cautioned. "The Director is not pregnant."
"It's possible she could be hiding it," McGee piped up wondering if that's why they hadn't see much of her.
"A hundred bucks says its Gibbs."
"Tony!" Ziva snapped. "Of course it would be him and she is not pregnant."
"Why don't we just ask Abby?"
"Why don't you all get back to work!" Gibbs interrupted and watched as Tony slunk farther into his chair than usual.
"She's standing right behind me, isn't she Boss?"
"No, but be thankful or she'd probably let Ziva castrate you with a paperclip." Tony sat up straighter cringing slightly and watching Ziva as a cornered prey would. Gibbs passed the younger man's desk picking up the newspaper article deciding he would read it later. "Get back to work!"
---
Jenny had informed Cynthia she wasn't hungry when they younger woman had inquired about lunch. She had turned down every snack offered and instead kept to her coffee. On the way home in the car even Matthew had asked if she'd like to stop and pick up food but she'd declined saying Noemi had prepared something. When she did get home Noemi had been cooking and the younger woman stepped out of the kitchen to greet her.
"Senora good evening."
"Good evening Noemi."
"Would you like some dinner? I made your favorite pasta," the young woman asked.
"Oh no thank you Noemi, I had a late lunch. I might have some later tonight."
"Yes Senora, If that's all I'll be going."
"Thank you Noemi." Noemi left and Jenny avoided the kitchen like the plague. She ran up the stairs and checked her wardrobe going through her favorite things and trying them on in front of the full length mirror. There were a few items that looked a bit snug but they were meant to be that way. However as she tried to slid her favorite jeans on she knew they would not close. That had her ripping them off and tossing them across the room. Okay so a pair of jeans don't fit, I can fix that. That soon became her new motto.
Coffee intake was upped as the food intake was cut. She stuck to salads with light dressing and a couple pieces of bread. Wine was cut out as bourbon again became a necessity. She took a small shopping trip out of DC to a store that sold under clothing and found herself the age old remedy to hiding unwanted bought two corsets for the time being knowing if the talked died down she'd get more until she was as thin as the corsets made her. The lady instructed her how to lace them up herself and keep them tight and Jenny paid avid attention. She couldn't believe the change in her body, she was sure no news reporter would dare say anything about a mysterious bump now.
As she took to wearing the new garment day in and day out she wasn't surprised to find herself learning how to breathe differently. Learning how to keep food away from her as much as possible and she even doubled her exercise routine. She had always been fit, that hadn't changed as Director needing the exercise to release stress as other reliefs soon became denied. Her hour and half work out was stretched to two and half hours and if her security detail thought it odd they said nothing. She also dragged the old stationary cycle from the attic and put it in her study so she could ride in between papers. Noemi was easily convinced that she was eating late at work and so simply took to making snacks and food for the weekend. Cynthia was a tad harder to convince but the young woman had been well trained to not ask questions and so if a few stern glares got her what she wanted, Jenny used them.
What she had not counted on however was those who cared for her beginning to wonder what was going on. She had never been a well balance person, but Ziva David was certain Jenny had officially snapped. The woman was an exercise feign all of a sudden and Ziva was worried. It wasn't unusual for Jenny to come along on a run once in a blue moon, but to consistently have her ask to come along for Ziva's normal early morning five mile run was unusual. The fact that Jenny could barely keep up was nothing new, Ziva had learned to adjust her pace, but she couldn't understand why Jenny was literally running herself in to her grave. One morning, nearly a month after Jenny had become a permanent companion on the morning runs, Ziva summoned up the courage to ask her old friend what the running thing was about.
"Jenny..."
"Ziva?" The redhead breathed heavily.
"You alright?"
"Never better."
"You training for a run along?"
"I think you mean marathon and no, I just felt like I should get started on that New Year's resolution I make every year and never go through with."
"Running is your New Year resolution?"
"Well getting in shape, like every woman I suppose."
"But Jenny...aren't you going a bit far?" Jenny took a long drink of her water.
"I don't follow."
"Well aren't you already in excellent shape?"
"Ziva when you're my age, you'll understand."
"You're not that much older Jenny, and you hardly look it."
"Oh Ziva..."
"Besides if this is about being attractive you should hardly ever have to worry, Gibbs follows you around like a puppy dog," the young Israeli teased. "Not to mention all the politicians and other agency directors."
"Gibbs?"
"Hm...bet he was the same in Paris."
"I don't know what you're talking about Miss David," Jenny replied warningly. Ziva smirked knowingly and rolled her eyes. "It has nothing to do with any of that," Jenny assured. "I simply want to get in shape, it helps relieve stress and all."
"So does the firing range." Jenny laughed out loud at her friend's response and smiled in return glad to be out of the interrogation. Ziva was good, but it was good to know that as long as she wasn't resorting to torture, Ziva could be easily calmed. However had Jenny been paying attention she would have noticed that Ziva was not a hundred percent convinced and when she saw Ziva talking to Cynthia she should've known something was up, but she was to tired to deal with it. Between the diet, exercising, and work Jenny was being drained and there was only so much coffee in the world.
Ziva had watched Jenny at work noticed her new habits, and tried appearance. Her mind traced back to when it had all started and could easily tie it to about the time that stupid gossip column writer Veronica Chester had written the article about Jenny's supposed bump. After a few quiet inquiries Ziva had been sure there was nothing to the pregnant rumor, and although she had not noticed a change in her friend's weight she would also never comment upon it. Now however Ziva could easily notice the way Jenny didn't wear her clothes anymore, rather the clothes wore her. A ball gown that had been ordered was a size to small than it should have been but it fit Jenny perfectly and there was only one reason for that weight loss. So Ziva using the skills Jenny had wanted her to learn began her own investigation and soon discovered she was not the only one.
Tony had noticed the change in the Director, it was hard not to, in his opinion. The woman was drop dead gorgeous on a bad day, but lately there was something about her that made her beauty different. She looked almost fragile to him, and perhaps it was the deeply hidden chivalrous side of him but he found himself grabbing doors for her if she was carrying something and watching her walk in the ever high heels she always wore wondering if she would indeed break if you so much as breathed on her. He had begun his own investigation, obviously discretely. He'd been watching Gibbs, hoping that perhaps his wish of Gibblet would be happening within the near future. Yet he hadn't noticed anything incriminating. If anything the Director was losing the weight, not gaining, a major disappointment for him, and Gibbs sure as hell wasn't acting different with her. If anything Gibbs was pissing her off more than usual. However it wasn't until he'd tried to enlist the Probie's help that he realized he too wasn't the only one interested.
McGee had been paying attention to both his team mates ‘discrete' investigations into the Director. He wanted to stay out of it but knew Abby would never forgive him. So when Tony had approached him for help, he'd told him about Ziva and the three of them had gone to Abby's lab to find Cynthia waiting for them along with the Goth.
"So we all know why we're here," Tony began.
"The Director."
"Good. Now any guesses? I'm going with a Gibblet."
"You would Tony," Ziva sighed. "Sadly I just pulled her medical records Jenny is not, nor has she ever been pregnant."
"Sure about that?" Tony pressed.
"Very," Abby agreed showing her own results. "Don't ask."
"Wasn't going to. Well okay no baby, any other guesses?" Tony tried. The women fell silent and glanced at each other.
"Abbs?" McGee called trying to get her to answer.
"I think...I think something's wrong with her," Abby said quietly.
"Wrong?" McGee echoed.
"Like in what way?" Tony asked.
"I think..." Abby teared up and turned away leaving it to the other two.
"We believe the Director is sick," Ziva answered gently.
"Sick like she's got a cold?" Tony clarified.
"No Tony," McGee corrected.
"But she's like Gibbs."
"It explains her loss of appetite and her weight loss," Cynthia backed up.
"So could a lot of things," Tony reminded. "Back me up Probie."
"Tony's right, it could be stress."
"I've worked with Jennifer Shepard for three years, trust me that woman can handle stress, what ever's eating at her she can't handle. She's going through more bourbon and valium then she had with the Frog and that was a nightmare."
"Ouch," Tony cringed. He didn't need much to remind him of why he wasn't so fond of Jenny right now but he certainly would never wish this upon her. "Think Gibbs knows?"
"He'd be blind not to have noticed," Ziva replied.
"This is Gibbs we're talking about. He didn't notice when she cut her hair."
"I hate to say it," Cynthia began. "But I agree with Tony. I don't think Gibbs knows, he's been making her life hell more than usual lately."
"We have to tell Gibbs," Abby piped up.
"Tell Gibbs what?" Came a deep accented voice. The entire team froze before turning to the door and breathing in relief at the sight of the Scottish Doctor.
"Ducky you scared us," McGee informed.
"Terribly sorry, what's got you all so glum?"
"The Director."
"And Gibbs."
"I see," Ducky said. "Hm...well it is a depressing situation. Two grown adults bickering about like children."
"Not quite what we're going for Duck," Tony sighed.
"Ah...something else happen?"
"Ducky you're a doctor," McGee suddenly remarked.
"Great observation McSherlock."
"It's just that maybe you could tell us what could cause someone to loss weight, and not want to eat," McGee inquired.
"Well it could be a number of things. How long have the symptoms been going on?"
"A few months now," Cynthia answered.
"Well it could be a parasite or some illness, perhaps depression. Something the matter Timothy?"
"Not Timmy, Ducky, the Director!" Abby exclaimed.
"The Director?"
"She's lost a lot of weight lately," Ziva explained. "She's not eating, she's turned into an exercise feign."
"She's drinking again," Tony added on.
"Again?"
"Ducky..." Tony and Ziva sighed.
"Well one does try to not see the fault of their friends."
"Is there anything you can do?" Cynthia asked.
"Well, is she sleeping?"
"She takes her valium."
"She's taking that again?" Ducky questioned sounding surprised. The others nodded their heads. "Good lord. I hadn't thought it would ever get that bad."
"Tell me about it," Cynthia mumbled.
"Have you told Gibbs?"
"Uh..." there was a lot of shrugging shoulders and starring at the floor.
"I see," Ducky paused trying to process everything he'd just found out. "Is there any reason to suspect this is not an internal?"
"Well,..." Abby paused glancing at Ziva and Cynthia.
"Abby?"
"There was an article in the paper a few months ago," Cynthia elaborated.
"Written by that witch Gossip columnist," Ziva interrupted.
"Right, written by her, about the Director and a mysterious bump...made it seem like the Director appeared pregnant."
"Which she is not?"
"NO!" They all assured.
"Well,...I think it is time you all hinted to Gibbs, starting with you Cynthia."
"What?" The young woman protested. "Wait you don't understand I'm under very strict orders to not discuss this with Gibbs even if he asks."
"Trust me Cynthia, she'll thank you in the end," Ducky assured patting the young woman on the arm. "Now all of you back to work before Jethro finds you down here and has something to yell about." The team split up heading back to their respective areas, Cynthia lingering near Ziva's desk waiting for Gibbs to come back from wherever he was.
"Where did you three get to?" Gibbs demanded coming down the stairs from the Director's office.
"Uh Abby's lab Boss, she didn't have anything," Tony answered.
"All three of you?"
"I went to see Ducky," Ziva informed nudging Cynthia.
"Uh Agent Gibbs?"
"Cynthia, the Director was looking for you."
"Right yes of course, I'll..." She moved to head toward the stairs and heard Ziva call her name softly. "Actually Agent Gibbs I was wondering if I could speak with you for a second." Gibbs looked up from his desk slightly surprised. He had never really gotten along with Jenny's assistant, she liked order he didn't and Jenny had found it utterly amusing when she went away. Yet he was never one to turn down a request for help or something. He got up and followed her into the elevator where she flipped the switch. Apparently everyone knew about his conference room.
"Cynthia."
"Right...The Director doesn't know..."
"Cynthia if you're unhappy with her..."
"NO! I mean, she's amazing really. It's just...I'm worried about her and I thought since you were her partner you might understand her better."
"Cynthia is something wrong with her?"
"She's...I think she's sick. Quite honestly I think she needs to go home, but she's uh stubborn Sir...Gibbs."
"How long has she been sick?"
"I'm not...I'm not sure. She was having trouble breathing the other day, I thought it was just a cold."
"Have you told Ducky?"
"He was uh...busy."
"Cynthia...why do I get the feeling there's more to this," He inquired flipping the switch and letting the doors open only to find his team waiting.
"Boss...we were just..." Tony tried. "Just..."
"Waiting for you?" McGee finished hesitantly.
"What the hell is going on around here? Don't you three have work to do?"
"Gibbs, you..." Ziva said before Abby appeared from the stairs.
"Gibbs!"
"Abby?"
"Did they tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"We think the Director is sick, you have to go make sure she gets better, please?" Abby pleaded sticking out her lower lip and pulling the sad puppy face.
"Get back to work, all of you," Gibbs growled lowly and the team darted Cynthia stepping into the elevator while Gibbs headed for the stairs to the MTAC floor. He walked past the entrance past Cynthia's now occupied desk and straight back into the Director's office without knocking. Cynthia as customary got up and began to apologize but Jenny just shook her head and waved her out watching Gibbs close the door and to her surprise lock it.
"Don't you have work to do?" Jenny inquired looking up from her mountain of paper work.
"Nope, that's why I have a team."
"Hm...so did you forget something from...seven minutes ago?" She asked.
"Yes." She raised an eyebrow in curiosity before waving her hand gesturing him to continue. "You feeling okay?"
"I feel fine."
"Sure?"
"Jethro...do I not look okay?" She questioned and to him she sounded nervous as if his answer would change everything about her. He vaguely remembered being in this situation months ago and little Tony's started dancing in his head as the ideas clicked together.
"You look just fine, but appearances can be deceiving."
"I'm fine Jethro. Really!" He nodded getting up and walking over to her chair pulling her to her feet. She seemed shocked but let him pull her to feet not noticing that he was very well aware of how stiff her middle was. "Jethro!"
"Just checking," he said letting her go and turning on his heel. He left watching as Cynthia nodded slightly before going in and asking Jenny if she wanted anything. As he went down the stairs he caught Ziva's eye and she along with Abby who had apparently come to wait the verdict moved toward the elevator. He met them there. "All right talk."
"She's lost a lot of weight," Abby recited.
"Okay."
"Gibbs its not just a little toning here or there, she's running five miles with me every morning."
"Jenny?" he clarified.
"No another redhead you happen to know," Abby snorted before backing down at the Gibbs' glare.
"She's...too thin Gibbs," Ziva stated. "She looks like she hasn't eaten in months. It's..."
"Not pretty," Abby finished.
"Look you both know Jenny, she's never cared about her weight. Ever."
"It's not that she never cared my silver fox, every woman cares."
"I just don't think anyone ever mentioned it," Ziva explained. "You didn't."
"I've had three wives, Ziva what do you think?"
"There was an article about her." Abby held out the printed copy with a pair of reading glasses and he scanned it wondering if this woman was even still alive, because if Ziva hadn't dealt with her, he would.
"This whole exercise kick started after that," Ziva explained.
"And you think this caused..."
"Ask Tony if you don't believe us." Gibbs really didn't want to, but pulled out his phone and hit speed dial four.
"Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."
"You obviously don't want a job tomorrow."
"Boss! I swear I was really doing my paperwork...Boss...hey where are you?"
"Heading for Abby's lab, question DiNozzo."
"Sure thing Boss."
"What size was the Director's last ball gown that she left the office in?"
"You mean that green number that she..."
"DiNozzo!"
"Right...uh judging by the waistline...hm...size 2 Boss, for sure."
"Now forget it DiNozzo."
"Got it Boss." Gibbs hung up making a note to head slap his senior field agent.
"He said a two."
"Has she ever worn a two?" Abby asked.
"No," Gibbs sighed. "She's not a two."
"We're worried about her Gibbs," Abby reminded.
"Okay Abbs...Ziva we never had this conversation but this Veronica woman..."
"I'll deal with it." Gibbs nodded flipping the switch and stepping off. He bided his time waiting till late when he knew Jenny would leave. He made sure to make it look like he'd left before her and then waited. He gave her a half hour to change out of her work clothes and knocked on the door. He heard noise in the house and knew she was probably trying to figure out what was going on. She opened the door dressed in a tee shirt and a pair of sweat pants.
"Jethro..."
"Hi Jen," he greeted holding out a bag of Chinese food.
"Oh I...just ate," she lied. "But I could be fairly decent company."
"Jenny remember your tell," he said going past her into the house. "You haven't gotten rid of it."
"I ate lunch late."
"You haven't eaten anything since you got to work."
"How would you know?" He gave her a good Gibbs' glare which she returned. "I talked to Noemi today."
"My Noemi? Is something wrong? I didn't see her today," Jenny asked getting worried.
"She's fine, she's worried about you."
"Well you know Noemi, she's always worried I'm going to give myself a heart attack or something," Jenny laughed, trying for humor and knowing she was failing.
"I think she was more worried about the bourbon," he said gently glancing at the empty decanter. She immediately tensed. "What's going on Jen?"
"Nothing. It's just been a rough week. We all have them," she defended.
"You're not eating."
"Today was an exception," she assured. She was about to further her case when the lights on the ceiling went out. "Damn it. I've been meaning to replace those."
He let his eyes adjust to the dark and watched as she moved into the hall hitting the hall lights and then coming back in with what he assumed were light bulbs and turning on her desk lamp. She inevitably was well trained in replacing them and he wondered for a minute if he'd ever watched her do something as domestic as that. She climbed gently on her desk and reached out unscrewing on lightbulb and replacing it. She asked him to flip the switch across the room and he did, catching the faint smile that spread across her face when the light came back on. She reached out to adjust the fixture and it was then he noticed. True any bit of skin she revealed his eyes tended to gravitate towards but this time it was the angry red marks that were there against her fair skin.
"What the hell happened to you?" He demanded shocking her and her hands came flying out to catch her balance. He was suddenly right there, his hands on her hips lifting her up off the desk and on to the floor surprised at how little she weighed.
"Jethro what are you talking about?"
"What happened to your stomach?" He repeated gently lifting the hem of her shirt to get a better look. It wasn't so much fascination as it was concern and she could tell the difference in his touch. He was worried she was injured.
"Oh its nothing, just this thing I have to wear with this new dress I just got and...why am I telling you this?"
"You don't just bruise from wearing something once," he accused.
"Well I've been trying to get used to it," she reasoned out for him, tapping his forehead with her finger tip. "How else am I supposed to last hours in it?"
"Jenny..." he let his voice trail off and she simply pushed away her hands falling to her hips. "I don't believe you."
"Well that's your choice, you can believe me or not. There's really nothing I can do about it, except perhaps have you fired, but that seems a bit over the top."
"That sounds like a quote," he replied.
"Eh...probably," she agreed.
"And I'll go with the fact that you wouldn't want DiNozzo as your team leader, so I don't believe you," he restated. She shrugged her shoulders and moved back to the couch.
"You better eat your Chinese before it gets cold."
"Maybe you should eat some," he suggested. She said nothing and simply turned to watch the fire. He sat down beside her and looked over the Chinese food trying to find something to tempt her hunger. "Like a dumpling. You like dumplings."
"I'm not hungry." It was at that unfortunate moment that her body choose to betray her and he heard the sound of her stomach.
"You're stomach sounds like its about to tear itself up. Eat something Jenny, please?" he tried hoping it would win her over. She grabbed a fortune cookie, broke it open and munched on it.
"Happy now?" He reached for her fortune.
"You deserve special treatment this month. Eat dessert," he read off the scrap of paper. "I agree with the cookie."
"Well I don't. I have to fit in a ball gown."
"One dessert isn't going to kill you Jen," he sighed as if she was just merely a stubborn child.
"You never know."
"How about you model this dress then?" An idea coming to him. Her eyes widened, shocked he would have even suggested it.
"The dress isn't finished."
"Uh huh."
"Jethro shouldn't you be getting home?" She tried hoping he might take a hint and she could have her bourbon and go to sleep, not that she slept much anymore.
"Tell you what, I'll go home once you eat something."
"What is this sudden fascination of making sure I eat Jethro?" She demanded. He fidgeted a sure sign she had hit a nerve.
"I'm worried about you Jenny," he said.
"It's a little late in the day to be worrying Jethro," she reminded. He gave her the Gibbs' glare he only ever used on criminals as if that might make her crack. It didn't. He stood up crossing over to her bookcase where the decanter of bourbon sat nearly empty. He picked up a crystal glass and poured a good measure in for himself and taking a good long sip of it. He glanced at the wall trying to come up with something, some way to get her to drop her guard long enough that he could figure out just how far this had gotten. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and an idea struck him. McGee checks his email on his fancy do-da, he sent Tony something. He opened his phone and pretended to glance over it.
"Get dressed," he said in his no nonsense Special Agent Gibbs voice.
"What?"
"Get dressed, now. Unless you want to go like that."
"Go? Go where?" She asked her voice taking a slightly worried tone.
"Now Jen!" She jumped at the tone surprised that he was letting her see how worried he was. "Grab a bag!" She ran up the stairs grabbing her suitcase that always sat by her bedroom door.
"How long?"
"Half hour to leave your house," he called back. She tossed the corset in the bag before grabbing the sweatshirt from under her pillow and pulling it over her head as she ran down the stairs. He grabbed the bag from her hand and opened the door shutting of the lights. "Get in the car." She slipped into the passenger side watching as he popped the trunk and put her bag in moving to the driver's side. He started the car and they pulled out of her driveway.
"So where are we going?" She asked hesitantly.
"Someplace safe." She followed the markers and her eyebrow raised.
"Jethro...your house?"
"No, just want to make sure there isn't anyone following us," he assured. She glanced out the window slightly and sighed in relief at not finding anything. They drove past his street and took another turn farther out of town. He stopped at a gas station an hour later taking a deep breath. He was pretty she was going to kill him when she found out what he was doing. "Hey Jen, give me your phone."
"What?"
"Give me your phone, please?" She handed it over and watched as he opened his and dialed stepping away from the car. She rolled down the window to hear the conversation. "McGee...disable the GPS in the Director's phone NOW...good. Now mine...if you don't hear from me in a week call. Tell Ziva everything is taken care of." He hung up and shut off Jenny's phone dumping it into the trunk as he got back in the car.
"Jethro...I need my phone."
"No, you don't."
"Jethro...they could need me."
"Cynthia will know how to get you if your needed. I was told to take you someplace safe and they out rank you so that's what I'm doing," he informed. Jenny raised her eyebrow at this not entirely sure this was the proper procedure for these kind of things. She had the key in her bag for a reason.
"What about your team and Cynthia?"
"They're safe."
"Abby and Ducky?"
"Safe Jen, you're the one who won't be if we don't get going." She fell silent and let him continue to drive. After a while the movement of the car lulled her to sleep.