The Riddle

- Chapter 5: And Yet I Love You -

Gibbs stepped off the elevator, coffee in hand, and eyes canning the building. He saw Jenny move quickly to her office and suppressed the urge to go straight to her. He sat down at his desk looking over some reports and listening to his team.

They had fallen quiet as he'd come in and he saw them shooting each other looks. He felt Ziva's eyes on him and noticed out of his peripheral vision the Mossad Officer gesture to Tony. He turned away and heard McGee move toward the other two.

"Did you see it?" Tony asked in a whisper.

"It's on his left hand," McGee responded.

"He would have told us, wouldn't he?"

"Abby would know," McGee suggested.

"The Director is not going to be happy," Ziva warned. Tony nodded look as the elevator doors open again.

"Uh oh...Hey Boss we've got company, literally," Tony announced. Gibbs turned to see Trent Kourt moving towards the stairs, and he quickly made to intercept.

"What's the CIA want with NCIS?" Gibbs inquired blocking the man's path to the stairs.

"Agent Gibbs, I'm here to see the Director."

"Well the Director's not in, so you're stuck with me. DiNozzo, McGee go check on those samples in Abby's lab," Gibbs ordered and the two men moved. "Oh and DiNozzo get her to take a lot at the piece of equipment and make sure its functioning." The two younger men nodded trying not to show confusion. Tony had gotten the unspoken message though, Abby goes nowhere. "Officer David, go wait in MTAC for that message."

"Of course," Ziva responded moving to go up the stairs.

"And Ziva check with Cynthia to make sure there are no messages from the Director." Ziva nodded aware of what she was to do and left leaving Gibbs at the bottom of the stairs with Trent Kourt.

---

"Abby?" McGee called coming into the lab and not seeing the Goth.

"Right here, McGee. Is Gibbs with you?"

"Uh no, Abby he'll be down later," McGee assured.

"Say Abby, when were you going to tell us about the Boss?" Tony inquired.

"Gibbs quitting again?"

"No, he's married, well at least he's wearing a band."

"He what?" Abby exclaimed. If he and Mom worked thing out she would have told me! "Where is he? I'll find out who..." Abby began moving toward the door only to find Tony blocking the way.

"Sorry Abby, but we're supposed to make sure you stay down here."

"Why?"

"Uh Trent Kourt is here asking for the Director," McGee explained.

"Uh oh," Abby sighed and the other two nodded. "Does the Director know?"

"Probably not." Abby picked up the phone.

---

"Director Shepard, Office David to see you," Cynthia announced over the intercom

"Send her in." Jenny stood as he friend entered. "Ziva what can I do for you?"

"Uh nothing actually, Director. I'm just checking on things."

"Agent Gibbs send you?" Jenny concluded.

"Yes, but he's dealing with a problem right now."

"Problem?" The phone ran and Jenny answered "Director Shepard."

"Trent Kourt is here!" Abby said over the line.

"Are you sure?"

"Tony and McGee said so."

"Hold on a minute Abby." Jenny looked toward Ziva. "Trent Kourt downstairs?"

"Yes Director."

"And Gibbs is?"

"Handling it," Ziva answered with a wave of her hand.

"Abby bring Tony and McGee upstairs."

"Did you know Gibbs was getting married?"

"Gibbs what?" Abby hung up and Jenny turned back to Ziva trying to school her hurt features. "You want to tell me something Ziva."

"If you are asking if Gibbs is wearing a wedding band then the answer is yes." Jenny fell silent.

"Well if Mr. Kourt is here to see me, I won't disappoint." Jenny stood and moved toward the door, Ziva following.

---

"So what does the CIA want with us?"

"I will only speak to Director Shepard."

"Well, she's not in the building and if you want her help you're going to have to tell me."

"This will not turn out well for you either, Agent Gibbs, if I do not speak to her," Kourt threatened.

"Find your Frog yet?" Gibbs inquired, but Kourt did not answer his eyes fixed above. Gibbs knew without looking that Jenny was standing there.

"So your Director is not it?"

"No," Gibbs answered. "She's not. You might want to leave before I decide you're a threat to her security," Gibbs warned placing his hand on his weapon. Kourt snorted and shot a glare back upstairs and moved toward the elevator.

"This is not over Agent Gibbs." Gibbs did not respond. He was Tony, McGee, and Abby appear and looked briefly at the girl before moving up the stairs. He took them two at a time and made it to Jenny's side quickly. He gave the ‘well-discuss-this-later' look to Ziva before taking Jenny by the wrist and escorting her to the elevator on the MTAC floor. Ziva was stunned to act but still moved only to run into Tony and McGee who had run up the stairs to catch up to Gibbs. Before the others could figure out what to do the elevator opened and Gibbs and the Director entered and the doors closed. The team knew he'd killed the power.

"That can't be good," Tony remarked.

"He wouldn't..." Ziva trailed off.

"Not Jenny," Tony answered.

"This is so not going to end well," Abby declared and the rest of the team nodded.

"Don't worry Abby, the parents just need to have a good fight. Though I do suppose it would be more fun to watch it," Ducky announced from the bottom of the stairs. When he reached the team he continued. "Your mother and father are equally stubborn, so I imagine it will be quite a show, why when we were..."

"This is all her fault!" Abby snapped, shutting Ducky up.

"The Director's?" McGee guessed but appeared not to hear.

"She should've told him!"

"Abby, dear, perhaps you would care to explain to the others," Ducky suggested. "Your father would expect that."

"I...how?"

"Oh I've known for a while, but they'll know sooner or later," Ducky replied. Abby nodded and turned to the rest of the team taking a deep breath.

"The Director is...well she's my uh..."

"She's your mother," Ziva finished. Tony and McGee's jaw dropped and they were silent as Abby nodded and looked questioningly at Ziva. "Jenny never said much about her past, I'm not even sure she knew I was aware that she had a child."

"The Director is your mother?" Tony echoed trying to piece it together.

"But than why would Gibbs care?" McGee asked doing the math in his head. Abby is not a child from Paris.

"Because a lifetime ago my name wasn't Abby it was....well maybe I should just tell you my mother's other name."

"It's Shannon," Ziva announced and at the looks she shrugged her shoulders. "She used it in Cairo once, but its just her middle name," Ziva explained.

"Wasn't Shannon the name of Gibbs' wife who..." Tony stopped as the thought settled.

"You're other name is Kelley," Ziva reasoned and Abby again nodded. McGee and Tony were back to being silent. "Which makes Jenny, Shannon Gibbs, well that's gotta be interesting."

"Does Gibbs know?" McGee asked.

"He just figured it out a few days ago," Abby observed.

"But didn't he and Jenny..." Tony just dropped it at the death look from Ziva. "So the favorite is the Boss' actually kid," Tony sighed. "Well I better get used to the head slaps."

"Uh Abbs, he doesn't uh..." McGee faded off as Abby laughed.

"No Timmy, he doesn't." McGee sighed in relief.

"Does the Director know he knows?" Ducky inquired returning the conversation back to the point.

"He said he talked with her last night," Abby replied.

"Twenty bucks says that's what the wedding is," Tony suggested.

"I'll take that bet, but how long before she calls him on it? And how long before she's wearing one?" Ziva questioned.

"Oh that's tough."

---

Jenny could not believe she'd let him pull her into the elevator. She knew the second they were in he would kill the power and they would not be going anywhere till he got answers.

"We need to talk."

"What could you possibly have to say to me?" Jenny demanded. "I told you everything."

"What about Trent Kourt?"

"Yes, about him, why was he in NCIS?" She questioned.

"I asked first, Director," he answered stressing the Director.

"And I outrank you!" She snapped.

"Don't pull that Jen, I've been trying to figure out where I knew Kourt from and you are going to tell me what he was doing in Paris in 99, when we were there." Jenny fell silent pondering her choices She could tell him the truth, but that would require revealing things she didn't want anyone to know. She could tell him a half-truth in which he would know and figure out the rest, or she could be silent or fake ignorance.

"How would I know?"

"I don't know, but you do, and if you want me to catch him, you'll tell me why." So much for the last plan.

"I didn't know his name at the time."

"Yea and?"

"He was sent to take care of a problem," she informed.

"Sent by whom and what problem?" She knew she was done for, he had turned his interrogation skills onto her and while she knew she was good, she wasn't that good.

"La Grenouille told him to get rid of loose ends."

"And the lose ends were?" He suspected he knew but he had to be sure. She didn't respond her eyes having focused on something else. "Jen?"

"When were you planning to tell your team you'd gotten married, again? My congratulations to the Colonel."

"I haven't gotten married, I'm still married and to you, in case you'd forgotten." She looked away and he noticed her features hardening.

"This is exactly why you were to never know about Shannon and I. You are too Goddamned honorable. You never married Jenny, you married Shannon!"

"I married one woman with two names, it shouldn't matter which one I married her under. I loved her as both."

"It's not the same!"

"How is it not the same?" He demanded. "I loved you as Shannon and Jenny."

"Not equally."

"What?"

"You didn't love Jenny the same you did Shannon, and I should know! Until you can love them both the same, your wife is dead!" She bit back.

"Jenny was the only one who came close and you know that!" He responded his anger rising with hers.

"Close but not equal. You never kissed Jenny the same way you did Shannon. You always held a piece back." Somehow those words seemed familiar to him.

"You don't even think we deserve a chance," he reasoned. "Maybe in twenty years you've figured it out all, but I mourned you, twice! I felt guilty for loving Jenny because I could forget about Shannon!"

"That's just it. You're seeing me as Shannon now," she answered her tone melancholy. She reached around and flipped the power back on, he flipped it off.

"I should have noticed earlier. You may think Jenny and Shannon are different but they're very much the same," he paused judging her reaction. "Do you remember that night in Paris after we were shot at?" He watched her face chance as she recollected that night.

"What does that have to do with anything?" She inquired her tone a forced cold.

"I called you Shannon, you never said a word." She sighed as she remembered.

It was after midnight when she awoke to his tossing and turning. She turned on her side and noticed he was dreaming, but it must not have been pleasant because he seemed so tense.

"Shannon, NO!" He screamed suddenly and she blinked back tears. She tried not to consider the way his nightmare was turning out and she quickly wrapped her arms around him trying to sooth him.

"It's okay Jethro, I'm right here," She whispered.

"Shannon, don't leave."

"Never Jethro, I'm right beside you. Kelley's asleep and safe. We're both safe," she reassured. He wrapped his arms around her holding her close and she let him knowing he was asleep.

"I love you," he sighed seeming to calm down. Jen felt tears form in her eyes.

"I love you too, Jethro." The tears finally falling.

"I thought it had been a dream," he said after a bit.

"It happened," she assured switching the power on.

"I should've known. I should have..." he was cut off as the elevator jolted to a stop becoming pitch black.

Chapter 6