In 2007 the Federal Agency known as Naval Criminal Investigative Services, suffered a devestating loss, Their Director Jennifer Shepard, was killed in action, in a shootout in a diner in the Navejo Desert. She had been there with Mike Franks, as former agent and close friend of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. She'd called him to Los Angeles to help her, because Gibbs trusted him, she couldn't thinkof anyone else to help her. She died from her wounds, or so everyone was led to beleive......
Jenny had chosen to fake her death when she became aware of Svetlana Chemensyka's revenge plot on her life. She did that to protect Jethro, it was her inability to kill Svetlana almost 10 yearspreviously, that had led to Svetlana coming after them, both Jenny and Jethro. Jenny had started letting herself become closer to Jethro again in the months leading up to her faked death, which made it more difficult because she knew what was coming.
At the time they had been having a sexual relationship too, for all intents and purposes they were dating, in a liberal sense of the word. Jenny she took the alias of Betty Rogers a medical examiner in the Chicago Mortuary Office, and that was where she stayed for 7 years. She enjoyed her work, it was oddly soothing, she found she turned into Ducky, talking to the bodies, she chose to not date, there was only one man she loved, that she wanted to be with and she could never have him. She didn't want anyone else. She couldn't imagine dating anyone else.
Jenny had kept tabs on Jethro and the rest of the team, she even dared to make a trip to DC, when Jethro had been shot. But she knew it wouldn't have been a good idea, too difficult, too risky. She wasn't able to explain it all yet, well she could but she wasn't sure, she'd be able to find the word to explain it all to him, she wasn't sure he'd understand, she just wasn't ready.
There had been one person who knew she was alive, it was the same person who had helped her 7 years ago Mike Franks. He chose to not tell Jethro, because he knew her reasons were pure, Mike was the reason she came back briefly. When he died she attended his funeral and wake. But she stayed inconsipicuous. Jethro had never even noticed her.
Of course a part of her wanted to go and hug him and console him, but again she couldn't, she knew it wasn't a good idea, so she left without being seen. Jethro had always said she'd been damn good undersocer, that remained the case even now. But now Jenny had enough of hiding if any of Svetlana's family wanted revenge they could come and get it. Jenny had chosen to come back.
She had thought of a number of ways of doing it. But only one way felt and seemed right, the first place she went was Jethro's house. She knew the first person she needed to speak to was him. She stood outside the door for almost 20 minutes before she put her hand on the handle, it took another 10 minutes before she turned it She wasn't surprise it was unlocked, he'd never locked it. He was a creature of habit, he was stubborn and it wasn't about to change now. She didn't think he'd be all that different. Jenny placed her handbag on the sofa, she knew if Jethro was there, he could be found in his basement, it was where he spent most of his time.
Jenny got to the top of the stairs, she saw him working o some toys. It was rather cute, she was so used to seeing boats in the basement, it seemed so empty now. She did go to leave, but Jethro had already sensed she was there and he said. "why come all this way to leave again Jen?" Jenny froze, her heart skipped, the fact he'd known it was her had surprised her, and she then said. "how did you, i hate when you do that" Jethro stood up as Jenny came down the stairs and he then said. "your perfume Jen, somethings don't change" Jenny ran a hand down the bannister and she then said.
"can you just hear me out, before you throw me out Jethro" Jenny mused softly and Jethro simply held his arm out to indicate she could step down into the basement and he simply said. "okay Jen go for it, you owe me an explanation as to where the hell you've been for 7 years."
