A Truth Too Hard To Hide (NCIS)

Chapter Three

Jade walked back over her desk and rescanned everything she had looked at yesterday to make sure she hadn't missed anything ... But still there was nothing this is extremely frustrating. She was focussing so hard on her computer screen that she had not heard the lift open.

"I think I prefer your replacement McGeek" DiNozzo chimed

Jade looked up and the colour drained from her face "Tim" she managed to stutter out.

A smile spread across McGee's face as he walked over to hug her "Jade! How are you? It's been so long!"

"I'm great thanks and yeah it has about 8 years, as if you recognised me"

"How could I forget you" Tim smiled

"Does someone wanna tell me what's going on?" Tony sulked as he was upset that McGee was touching the beautiful women.

Tim looked over "oh ... Me and Jade were at MIT together a few years apart but she also studied computer forensics, we were pretty close as she helped me with my last year price of work before I graduated. You still had three years left at that point?" he looked at a still shocked Jade. "But I haven't seen her since your families BBQ" sadness rained across Tim's face "but it's nice to see you now" and he turned and went and sat at an empty desk. Jade sat back down and was unusually quiet for the rest of the day avoiding eye contact with McGee.

Gibbs had come back into the bullpen, and asked McGee if he wanted to go see Abby with him see if he could assist her in anyway to lighten the load. Once they had left in the lift DiNozzo was ready to try and get the gossip from Jade but as he looked over to her she got up and left towards the women's toilets. DiNozzo sighed and went back to work.

Ring Ring! Ring Ring! It was Gibbs phone he wasn't that stupid.

Ring Ring! Ring Ring! It was Jade's office phone, it would have been for McGee not interesting

Ring Ring! Ring Ring! His phone ... Okay then!

"Hello, Special Agent Tony DiNozzo"

"Hi, is this the office of Special Agent Gibbs?" And old women replied

"Yes, I am part of his team can I help you?"

"Yes ... Well I am looking for a Miss Jacques, I called her work and they sent my the numbers for this office"

DiNozzo was getting bored "Yes she does, but she is not available at the moment shall I take a message?"

"That would be nice ... It's Mrs Johnson the nurse at Tunston school her daughter has been sick and needs to be picked up and taken home I know this may be inconvenient but she really is ill tell her to call me back"

It just got interesting, Tony hadn't seen anything yesterday that would have suggested that she had a daughter but he wasn't really looking. "No problem I'll tell her" he smiled as he put down the phone. Jade was just walked over and sat at her desk she looked worried, not as bold as Tony remembered the first day he had seen her though she was just as beautiful.

"Erm ... Jade" Tony called a little worried as she had never mentioned anything about children after all the time they spent talking yesterday.

"Yeah" she said without looking up at him.

"Your daughters school called" Jades face shot up and turned as pale as when she saw McGee "she's been sick and needs to be picked up, the nurse wanted you to call back”

"Okay" she grabbed her phone, she looked back at Tony "Sorry I didn't say anything yesterday, I thought it might put you off coming for a drink at my house yesterday if you thought she was going to be there or something" Jade said blushing

"It's fine" DiNozzo smiled "I like kids" Jade laughed and called the nurse.

"Hello ... Okay ... Well it is a little inconvenient ... Did you call my sitter I put her down as first to call ... Okay, it's just I'm at work you see and I can't leave ... Okay, I'll be there soon" Jade looked up at DiNozzo "I don't know what to do, I can't just leave can I! And even if I picked her up she can't stay here.

"Well Gibbs is harsh, but he understands the responsibility of children plus he'll be in MTAC all day so he won't mind" DiNozzo suggested

"It's not Gibbs ... Oh forget it, I need to get her and I will have to make do, cover for me just I will need to pop home and get some things as well" Jade pleaded

"I can come with you if you want, we can say we was investigating a lead"

Jade was puzzled but didn't have time to argue so she just agreed, they jumped into the car and Jade drove to the school, she walked through to the nurses room and saw her little girl with a pale face with red eyes where she had been crying and she had a little sick stain on her dress she really is ill Jade thought to herself after all the times before she had pretended.

The nurse handed Jade a bucket "you'll need it" she smiled and Jade led the girl to car.

The girl climbed into the car with the bucket while Jade got back in the drivers seat.

"Hey darling, this is Tony he's who I've been working with at my new place" the girl gave a faint smile. Jade carried on the introductions "and Tony this is Ruby" he looked at her and stuck his tongue out and the girl laughed. The girl had the same hair as her mother long and dark brown they had the same beautiful eyes but the mouth and nose were not the same as Jades even though they did look strangely familiar, she was a lot older then Tony had expected as well. They were on the way back to Jade house when the girl started to go even paler and begin to shake a little.

"Mum ... Mum" she cried

"It's okay darling, you've got the bucket we will be home soon" Jade panicked as she tried to find somewhere to pull over but there was no where. The girl had tears streaming down her face as she was sick again, Jade wanted to turn around but she knew that she had to keep her eyes on the road but she smiled as she saw Tony turned around in his chair grabbing the girls hair and rubbing her back trying to calm her down. Jade finally pulled over she climbed in the back with Ruby as Tony drove the rest of the way to Jades house.

They got to the house Jade was loading up the washing machine with Ruby's school uniform when her phone rang it was Gibbs.

"Hello"

"Hi, when you decide to actually show back up to work their was an external hard drive found hidden in the house I want you and McGee to check it out"

"I'll be there soon, I'm sorry"

"Don't apologise, and if you’re with DiNozzo bring him back too!!" Gibbs put the phone down, Jade had no choice Ruby was going to have to come with her.

"Put those bottoms on" Jade shouted to Ruby "and find a big jumper to put on, then get a couple of toys and give them to Tony" Jade laughed as she saw Tony’s face. "Would you mind helping me look after her just I know trying to get through the encrypted files on this external hard drive is going to take forever!" She pleaded.

"Yeah ... No problem, she's a great kid" Tony smiled back. "Let me grab her a throw for the office so she's comfy if she gets tired" he grabbed a big fluffy throw off the sofa.

"That's great idea I'll just pick up a pillow off her bed too" she laughed "I'm not making the best impression am I, now it looks like we are off on a camping trip"

They jumped in the car and set off back to NCIS.

"I didn't know you was with somebody" Tony blurted out

"I'm not" jade replied shocked

"So what about Ruby's dad?"

Jade’s face became pale once again "That was a long time ago, we wasn't together when Ruby was born I looked after her myself"

"Yeah how old is Ruby?" He asked cautiously

"She's just turned 7" jade responded bluntly

"What? So that made you?!?"

"19 okay! I was 19, but that doesn't matter I looked after her well on my own and I still did well for myself, nice job, nice car, nice house" The rest of the journey was in silence.