Clones

Fever

As Jenny sits down in her chair in the MTAC, her phone buzzes in her pocket. She looks down to see the school where her children attend. She rushes out of MTAC and answers the phone, the school never calls, "Ms. Shepard?"

Jenny answers, "This is she."

The woman on the other side replies, "This is Nurse Rebecca Toyber from Norfolk Kindergarten. I'm calling in regards to both Ashley and Jasper. They both are running a fever and need to be sent home. Are you able to pick them up?"\

Jenny looks at her watch and sighs but then thinks of a great plan looking over the bullpen where only Tony is sitting, "I can't, but I give permission for Anthony, Tony, DiNozzo to pick them up. He will bring them to me at my office. I have to get back to work. Thanks so much and sorry for the trouble." She hangs up the phone and yells, "Agent DiNozzo!"

Tony looks up and starts to jog over to the staircase, "Director."

"Go to Norfolk Kindergarten, pick up Ashley and Jasper Shepard and bring them here. Immediately bring them to me. Tell no one. Understood?" Jenny starts to walk back to MTAC without an answer.

DiNozzo speaks up, "Ma'am, I have my case to finish, and Gibbs won't be very happy if I don't get back to him."

She stops walking and without turning around she says, "I am the director. Don't make me order you, Agent."

"On it," DiNozzo runs to pick up his jacket from the desk and then runs to the elevator. After 10 minutes Tony runs up to the entrance and is checked in, Ashley and Jasper walk slowly to Tony. He introduces himself, "I am Anthony, but you can call me Tony. I work with your mom."

Jasper backs up holding Ashley's hand, "My mom said to never leave anywhere with a stranger."

Tony sighs and rings up Jen. She answers, "Agent DiNozzo, I am in a meeting. This better be good."

Tony responds, "Your kids are smart, they won't leave with me. Can you tell them that it's okay?"

Jen sighs and slightly feels proud of her children. Tony puts the phone on speaker so they can both hear their mom's voice, "Hey. You are all good to hang out with Agent- with Tony. He's going to drive you to Momma's work and you will see me okay?"

Both the children smile, "Okay!"

Jen hangs up the phone leaving Tony alone with her children. Ashley and Jasper make their way to Tony's car. Tony asks for reassurance, "So you are Ashley, and you are Jasper, right?"

They both nod. Jasper mentions as he buckles in, "Can you call me JJ?"

"Sure, bud," Tony looks in the rearview mirror directly into JJ's eyes. Bluer than the ocean they shimmer as the sun hits them. Tony asks as he starts the car, "What does JJ stand for?"

"Jasper Jethro," JJ answers quickly.

Tony keeps the car in park and turns around to face JJ, "Jethro?" JJ nods in agreement. Tony takes a deeper look into the child's eyes and notices that he has seen that shimmer before. Tony ignores his gut and starts to drive home.

Soon enough the kids are at the NCIS building and meet up with their mom. Jen hugs them and feels their foreheads, "Both of you are burning up." Jen shows them to her office where she directs them to stay for the remainder of the day.

Tony catches up with Jen, "Director, this really isn't my place but-"

"Then why are you speaking?" Jen asks. Tony takes a deep breath. Jen stops in her tracks and says, "Just say what you need to."

Tony spits it out, "Those are Gibbs children."

Jen looks shocked and freezes. After a few seconds, she pulls him into a storage closet. "How do you know?"

Tony smiles charismatically, "JJ's full name is Jasper Jethro."

"He told you that?" Jen slides down the wall to sit on the ground.

"Director, he didn't have to," Tony sits criss-cross on the ground the be on the same level as Jen. She looks confused, so Tony explains, "His eyes. He has his eyes."

Jen sighs, "I know."

Tony looks her in the eyes, "Have you told them that he is their father?"

Jen looks at Tony, her cheeks start to turn red, "No." Jen takes a breath, "You can't tell Jethro."

"You're right. I can't, but you can," Tony mentions honestly. He continues, "He deserves to know that he has children."

Jen starts to hyperventilate, "He's going to hate me. He's going to hate the children. What if I tell him and he doesn't want to be in their lives?"

Tony scooches next to her and softly says, "Breathe. Just breathe. Breathe." She calms down and listens to Tony, "I barely know Gibbs, but the one thing I know for a fact is that he would do anything to be a father again. He may not like you at the moment, and I don't know anything about what happened with you two in the past, but he'll get over it."

"Really?" Jen looks at Tony and wipes her tears away.

"Really." Tony stands up and holds out a hand to help Jenny back up, "Take a  moment to get yourself together. If you need me I will be at my desk finishing my research that I should have done in the past half an hour."

He leaves her alone and gets back to work. A few minutes after DiNozzo gets back to work Jen leaves the storage closet and goes back to her office to check on her kids. The rest of the day passes. Ziva comes and McGee comes back after being in the field. Gibbs finally comes back 5 minutes before the end of the workday. Ashley and Jasper come running out of Jen's office playing tag. They bump into Gibbs and cause him to spill his coffee. Gibbs starts to raise his hand thinking it's one of his employees until he turns around and sees two children. He speaks up, "Whose children are these?"