What The Heart Wants
- Chapter 9 -
Jenny woke alone in her bed; she still had her eyes closed and wasn't sure what woke her. She opened her eyes and found herself looking back into a pair of smaller deep brown eyes, she jumped backwards in shock and a giggle reached her ears. 'Don't do that,' she told Aaron as he grinned up at her, 'you scared me,' he just continued to giggle, 'it funny,' she smirked at him, 'was it really,' he nodded, 'uh huh,' 'nu uh,' 'uh huh,' 'nu uh,' 'uh huh,' 'nu uh,' she stuck her tongue out at him and he stuck his equally slimy looking pink tongue back out at her.
She sat up and grabbed him around the middle, she started tickling him and he squealed happily, she rolled onto her back and he sat on her stomach propping up his teddy on her chest. 'I guess you're feeling much better today?' She asked him, his bear nodded in agreement, she smiled widely, 'good, because you're coming in to work with me today,' 'Jethro?' 'Yes, Jethro will be there,' he smiled and climbed off the bed.
He grabbed her hand and pulled on it gently, 'up, up,' she groaned comically, 'no, don't want to,' 'up, up!' He told her stamping his foot and frowning, 'okay, okay, i'm getting up, i'm getting up,' she laughed swinging her legs off the bed and nudging him towards the door. 'Out,' 'Why?' 'because I need a shower and I don't want you creeping up on me that's why,' he pulled a face and allowed her to walk him into his room. She pulled some toys from the closet and set them down on the floor, 'you play with these for a little while,' he happily jumped over to the toys and watched as Jenny looked over the side of Anthony's cot.
He was still fast asleep, his hands were twitching and he was making little whimpering noises, she reached down and stroked his cheek gently, he stopped whimpering and his arms fell still. He settled down and she smiled, she turned back to Aaron, 'shhh,' she placed a finger to her lips and pointed at Anthony, she quickly headed into her own room and closed the door before undressing and climbing into the shower.
She stepped out of her en-suite wrapped in only a towel and nearly slipped on a plastic ball, she looked up from her undignified position on the floor and into Aaron's innocent looking face as he held a second ball in his hand. 'Oops,' he muttered, she tossed the ball at him, 'go on, out,' he ran from the room kicking the balls out with him.
Jenny watched until he had disappeared from view before dropping her towel and putting on underwear, she fixed the clasp on her bra and turned around. Aaron was in the doorway staring at her, 'how long have you been there?' 'sixtyhundwed minis,' he grinned holding up his fingers. 'Hmmm,' he stared at her confused, 'what?' she asked looking herself up and down suddenly conscious she was in her underwear.
She slipped on grey pants and a pink and white striped shirt as he looked on curiously, 'let's get you dressed,' she carried him next door and changed him into a white and blue tank top and jeans and pulled out a tiny version of his outfit for Anthony. After dressing Anthony and feeding them both breakfast she collected together, toys, books, diapers and spare sets of clothes before her driver appeared outside.
She opened the door to the usual grin and jerked her head towards the pile of essentials by the door, Sam laughed, 'I forgot you can't travel lightly with babies,' 'not when you have to be prepared for every eventuality,' as Sam bundled the mass into the trunk Jenny ushered Aaron towards the door. She grabbed her duffel coat and tossed it onto the back seat, ignoring Aaron's complaining she fastened Anthony into his seat and closed the door.
Now she could focus her attention on the toddler pulling her towards her house by her ankles. 'Aaron, tell me what's wrong, I can't do anything about it if you just keep pointing can I?' She bent down and spoke at the toddlers level, 'forgot Sam,' he told her pointing to the door and grabbing her hand, 'Sam's here,' she said pointing at her driver, 'no, not him, Sam.' She stared at him, 'Sam?' 'uh huh, Sam and ham,' it dawned on her, 'I am Sam,' he nodded vigorously tugging on her hand, 'You get in the car and i'll go and fetch it.'
Ten minutes later, after searching the whole room, she finally found the book under the duvet in Aaron's bed. Shaking her head she hurried downstairs, jerked to a stop on the bottom step and shot back into her room for her jacket matching her pants and pink silk scarf and hastily threw them on before moving at the speed of light to her front door.
She jumped into the back seat and sighed loudly, finally, 'ready Director?' Jenny nodded smiling and looking down at her little charges, 'yes Sam, I think so.' She looked at her watch and groaned, she was going to be so late. The journey to NCIS headquarters went with only one hitch, Anthony brought his breakfast back up all over his car seat and Jenny's lap. 'Now were you prepared for that eventuality director?' Sam smiled into the rear view mirror; Jenny stared at him as his eyes travelled to her stained pants, 'Just drive.'
Jenny was glad when the elevator doors closed and she began the assent to the bull pen, just as she was starting to relax the lights went off and the lift stopped. She glared at the doors and felt a small hand reaching up for hers, 'it's okay Aaron, we'll be going in a minute,' she cursed Jethro under her breath and wondered who had been taken to his conference room this time. In a few minutes the lights flickered on and the elevator jerked into life.
As the doors opened she found herself face to face with the man himself, 'Jethro I'd appreciate it if you do not turn the elevators off when I am using them,' for some strange reason he smiled at her and lifted Aaron into his arms. He walked over to the stairs and took a few steps up as she stared at him in amazement, what did he know that she didn't?
She watched him with narrowed eyes as he tickled Aaron and joked with him, he turned around at the top of the stairs and stared at her, she started walking towards him desperately trying not to smile. His eyes were slightly crinkled and he was obviously trying not to smile too, there was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he nudged Aaron towards her office.
She moved quickly up the stairs noticing the four pairs of eyes watching her and noting the huge grin on Abby's face, they were up to something. Anthony turned his head around from staring at his surroundings to look up into Jenny's face, he opened his mouth and started gabbling at her. She listened to him and smiled, replying in all the right places. As she reached the walkway she could have sworn she heard an 'aww' she glanced behind her and saw the team all too engrossed in McGee's computer screen.
As she continued into her office the team looked at each other, she obviously didn't realise Anthony was copying her facial expressions and making sounds like the words she was saying. They were so natural together it was like a match made in heaven, it made Tony even more certain they had done the right thing.