You'll Never Leave Completely
- Chapter 6: Europe Again -
Around eight hours later, Shepard and Gibbs were raised out of their sleep by Carla Elliott.
"We'll be in approach for our destination in ten minutes. Miss Shepard, please get yourself prepared for the landing." Jenny noticed the change in address; so now they definitely weren't Director and Agent anymore, as Elliott's next words proved. "Mister Gibbs, your bed is already secured; the landing will be no problem for you. I'll come back to you both as soon as we are on the ground." With this, she left, probably to take a seat herself, as Jenny guessed.
"So, here we are now. In
To avoid attracting attention, they landed on a normal airport amidst the city. Nevertheless, they didn't need to check out and they didn't come in touch with any of the ground staff. They transported Gibbs together with his bed out of the plane and directly into a car that looked like a light commercial vehicle; white and without any window in the rear; but to Jenny's surprise, inside it looked like an ambulance. They even had a comfortable chair for her.
She hated not being able to see anything of the outside world. At least she wanted to know where they were, how it looked here, what was expecting them. They had put them into a cage, a box, and she didn't even know why, because - shouldn't they work here at any one time? Of course it was much better to be in an inconspicuous vehicle, maybe one that could be found anywhere on the streets of this city. And one without windows so no one would be able to look inside.
Not that the explanations she was giving herself made her feel better, but it helped her to get rid of the dull feeling she had since the approach. She didn't know where it came from; maybe she was getting something like Jethro's famous gut as well. She felt kidnapped, like she simply wasn't allowed to know where they had been brought to. In some way, it reminded her of the day she had been kidnapped around two years ago. Although she knew that, this time, no one intended to hurt them, she still missed any peace of mind.
Jethro, on his part, had his eyes closed and seemed to sleep; only that Shepard was sure that he was wide awake. A Jethro Gibbs wouldn't sleep in such a situation, in spite of his condition and the fact that the doctor more or less had ordered him to sleep. She knew he shared her feelings and qualms; he always did. And now, with them undercover again, knowing nobody around, not even knowing the language of the country they had been brought to, and being dependant on the other, these common feelings would be even more complex.
---
The drive had lasted about an hour, Jenny guessed; over the years, she had been developing a good sense of time. When the car finally stopped and the engine went out, she felt somehow relieved. The fresh warm air of May welcomed her when she got out of the vehicle. Surrounding her was a forest; in front of her lay a lake amidst the wood. Looking around, she at last realized that she was standing just a few feet away from a building.
"That's yours now," a by now familiar voice belonging to Carla explained. "You'll live here as long as your assignment lasts. You'll find everything you need here; but if you should feel the need of anything, you just have to inform us and we'll get it for you. We will also help you with the local background; someday, you'll, for example, get everything of daily need yourself."
Jenny only nodded, thoroughly examining the house in front of her. Their residence was a small and charming house, but obviously somewhere out in the middle of nowhere.
Carla Elliott, as she could read Jenny's mind, continued, "You're here on the outskirts of
Again, Jenny didn't say anything, but kept on looking around, memorizing as many details as possible. It was good to know that they were secluded out here, but that also meant that no one was going to notice if anything happened here. They were going to spend a long time here, she guessed, nearly feared, and she didn't want anything happen by chance that she or Jethro wouldn't be able to foresee and get themselves prepared for.
"You'll get your instructions as soon as Mister Gibbs has recovered. The Doctor Bellman said it will take around four weeks to get him back on duty. We will have the doctor check up on him every day in the first week and every two or three days in the following weeks. You should pay attention that Gibbs won't overstrain himself; maybe he should stay in bed or at least anywhere sitting the next days. I don't think he'll need pain killers; but he can tell the doctor anytime if there are any problems."
"Miss Elliott, allow me one question - why aren't we called by our titles anymore? I mean, of course I'm not the NCIS Director, Vance will be now, though I hope this absence from my position won't last long. But what about Agent Gibbs?"
"Well... this might sound macabre, but as you know, officially, you two are dead. Or your old identities are. With your assignment here, you'll get new ones. Of course, in fact, you're alive, but your old lives don't exist any longer for you. Maybe you'll return one day, as Director Jennifer Shepard and Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. But at the moment, you're nameless until you'll get your new identities. I think this will happen this afternoon. I know, this situation might be really unpleasant, and I ask you to trust me; us," the woman explained, and when she noticed that Jenny wasn't going to answer anything, she pointed to the house. "If you don't mind, I'll show you your new home now."
---
It was a cold comfort, but at least the house was one Jenny could imagine living in. They had already brought Gibbs to his room, or the room they had declared to be his, though he had protested as much as he and his lungs had been able to.
The house reminded her a bit of a mountain shelter, only that this one here was much bigger and much more comfortable. Everything looked country-style; the inner walls were faced with wood; the floor was made of stone; big blocks of an irregular cut. Stepping through the entrance, one was standing in the living room area; a very big room that made up nearly the whole lower part of the house. There was a sitting area in front of a big fireplace. A huge carpet looking very soft and thick was lying in the middle of the couch and the armchairs standing around the fireplace.
Across this sitting area, next to a window, was a dining table and only a few steps away from it the entrance to the kitchen. Carla had assured Jenny that, in the early days of their time here, someone would take care of their fridge. But they had to cook alone; a thought that made Jenny really pity Jethro because as long as he was forced to stay in bed or at least forbidden to work in any way, he would be also forced to eat what she was cooking. She! The reason she never cooked wasn't just her lack of time.
Attentive she followed Carla upstairs. The upper floor was kind of connected with the lower because it was open; this meant that one was standing on an inner balcony as soon as one reached the top of the stairs. The mentioned balcony allowed a look to the living room; the area around the fireplace and the dining table. The kitchen was right below the gallery and the rooms that could be approached from it, as were another two rooms she hadn't been introduced to yet, but she guessed that it were the bathroom and a storeroom or something similar.
The two rooms on the upper part of the house were both bedrooms; one for Jethro - the one where he was already in - and one for Jenny. Pleased she discovered that the bed in her room was as big as her own bed a home; at least she would have the comfort of being stretched out on a kind sized bed.
Also upstairs was also a small restroom; but Jenny was more curious about the bathroom downstairs.
Forgetting for a moment the situation they were in, she could have squealed happily when she saw the big tub. There was nothing better than a hot bath in the evening; it always helped her to clear her mind and find some peace and rest after a stressful day.
---
While Jenny was inspecting the house, Jethro finally had given in and was now, as a good patient, lying in his bed. Only sleep wouldn't come to him. His gaze wandered around the room; when they had brought him into the house he had already noticed the rustic style; the wood on the walls and the stone on the floor; and he was sure he was going to like their residence, although he would have preferred being at home. Complaining wouldn't help them so he thought they should make the best out of their situation and try to find a way to return without the people they'd brought them here. Assignment or not, they hadn't been asked and he simply hated being forced to do something or to go somewhere.
Waiting wasn't exactly his biggest strength, and he really tried his best to stay in bed and to not jump up; he felt like a tiger in a cage and if being alone in a foreign land wasn't bad enough, being tied to a bed made it even worse. Of course he had Jenny, and he was thankful to be here with her, but it didn't change their situation. He was sure that they weren't allowed to contact the team in
Looking out of the window, he noticed the sun shining, the sunrays breaking through the treetops, and the leaves, moved by the wind, made thousands of little sparkles of the light. It was a peaceful and very beautiful picture and yet it seemed like it was sneering at him, at them, and their situation. Suddenly he felt enraged; he wanted to tell these people what exactly he was thinking of this whole plan and assignment that wasn't one already. No one had told them what they would have to do as soon as he was fit enough for service, but something told him he wasn't going to like it.
Someone coming up the stairs made him turn his head back to the door that was across from the window, and curiously he waited, the words for one of the people he wanted to cut down to size formed in his mind. But the person stepping into the room was his partner.
"They're gone. We're alone now, Jethro," she informed him, taking place on the chair that was standing next to his bed, facing him. Gently she took his hand and squeezed it, knowing that he shared the anger she was feeling. But because it was nothing that would help him to recover, she needed him and his thoughts to be positive.
"When will they return? To check up on us?" he asked, grumbling, making a face.
"Tomorrow around noon, maybe afternoon. Carla Elliott, the woman who is responsible for us and every concern we might have, as she told me, said there's a lot to do for them because there are still some things they need to organize. Originally we should get new identities this afternoon, but something went wrong. Now we'll get the documents with all details tomorrow." Jen couldn't resist smiling a bit when she heard him sighing. "Let's not talk about it anymore now. I'd like to have a quiet afternoon and evening."
He didn't comment on her words, but instead only nodded; then he looked at her pleadingly, and asked, "How about a 'Welcome Coffee'?". Seeing her facial expression, he instantly knew that this really wasn't going to be his lucky day.
"Sorry, Jethro. No coffee for at least four days; medical instruction. It wouldn't be good for your health."
"Going four days without coffee isn't good for anyone's health - anyone near me," he griped, making Jen chuckle slightly. Gently she kissed his temple.
"I'm sure you'll survive it. I'll forego coffee, too; so there will be no smell of fresh brewed coffee. You won't complain and I'll show solidarity. Deal?"
"Deal," he agreed, yet he still didn't look happy, giving Jen a hard time suppressing her laughter. This was going to be a very amusing time...