A/N: I've had this sitting on my laptop since September, and finally decided to post it. Hope you enjoy.
As the beer bottle connected with the side of her head and she hit the ground, Jennifer Shepard gasped in pain. She'd tried to dodge it, but she hadn't been quick enough. Her feet slid on the hardwood floor as she scrambled backwards, her eyes widening as two hands wrapped around her throat. The pressure was almost unbearable and her vision began to fail her. Spots danced in front of her eyes, and when she finally found her footing, she didn't think. Glancing over her shoulder once, she ran, determined to put as much distance between herself and her attacker as possible.
Throwing herself into the driver's seat of her car, her hands were shaking so much that she could barely turn the key in the ignition. She sped down the darkened road, not looking back, too afraid of what she might see. When she finally arrived at her house, she locked the door and pulled out her firearm. She was still shaking and she could feel blood trickling down the side of her face.
She made her way slowly to her bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She carefully cleaned the cut on the side of her head and sighed as she pulled on more comfortable clothing. She picked up her firearm that was resting on her bedside table and when she fell asleep three hours later, it was still held in her hand, pointed toward the door.
"Woah, Shepard, what happened to you?"
She glared at Burley and sighed.
"I fell," she said shortly, ignoring the burning pain in her throat when she spoke.
"Did your face break your fall?"
"Shut up, Burley."
"Sorry," he held up his hands in surrender, "I was just wondering-"
"Wondering what, Burley?" came Gibbs' voice from behind him.
"I was just asking Shepard-nothing, boss."
Jenny sat down slowly at her desk, sighing as her aching body protested. She could still feel Burley's eyes on her, and she buried her face in a report, hoping he would get the hint. She'd only gotten two hours of sleep the night before, and she was definitely feeling the consequences. She stood up after a few minutes, excusing herself to go to the restroom and deliberately ignored the looks of her colleagues.
Gibbs had been watching her closely as she sat across the squad room, and he didn't like the feeling he'd gotten. Her skin was paler than usual, and she was sporting a large bruise on the side of her face. There had clearly been a cut the previous night and it had started to scab over, leaving it more noticeable. Definite finger marks coloured her throat and when she spoke, her voice was slightly raspy. He frowned, trying to figure out what could have happened to her. They hadn't had a case the day before, so it couldn't have been a workplace injury. What in the hell was going on?
Jenny stared at her reflection and felt irrationally angry at the tears she saw in her eyes. She hadn't even given her appearance a second glance that morning and now she was paying the price. The dark circles under her eyes morbidly complimented the bruise on her temple and she sank down on the cold floor, sobbing. How could she have seriously thought that she could fool anyone?
Twenty minutes later, Gibbs hung up his phone and glanced around the room.
"Got a case. Grab your gear. Dead Lieutenant Colonel in a park. Where's Shepard?"
"She hasn't come back yet," Decker answered carefully.
Gibbs nodded, heading for the elevator. As it opened, he collided head-on with Jenny Shepard, who gasped as she hit his chest.
"Uh-oh. That's not good," Burley said quietly.
Gibbs looked at her seriously before pointing back to the elevator. She stepped in behind him and looked down at the floor, embarrassed. He flipped the emergency stop switch and she braced herself for the reprimand. When it never came, she glanced up at her boss, her eyes confused.
"Everything okay, Shepard?"
She nodded, not able to meet his eyes.
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
He watched her carefully, noting that her right eye had twitched when she spoke. He had only worked with her for a year, but he knew that was a sure sign of deception.
"Shepard. If something's going on and it's going to be a problem, I need to know. We've got a case and I can't have one of my agents distracted."
She looked at him firmly, her gaze level.
"I won't get distracted, boss."
He nodded after a moment, and hit the switch. When the doors opened again, he carefully slapped the back of her head. She glanced at him over her shoulder and the sadness in her eyes hit him like a freight train.
"Shepard, bag and tag. Decker, photos. Burley, secure the perimeter."
"Boss, Shepard usually does photos," Decker protested.
"Yeah? Well, today, that's your job."
Decker grumbled unhappily and pulled out the camera. Jenny smirked as she surveyed the crime scene, collecting even the slightest thing that could help their case. She noticed how much Decker's hands shook as he tried to snap a photo of the deceased woman and sighed, walking up to him.
"Like this," she demonstrated, showing him how to properly hold it.
She resumed her task and when she truly caught sight of the woman on the ground, she winced. The Lieutenant Colonel had been beaten badly, though not recently, and she could see herself in the woman's place. Working quickly, Jenny took a deep breath to steady herself. They needed to hurry before she lost her mind.
"What do we have, Ducky?"
The medical examiner looked down at the woman on the autopsy table seriously.
"Well, her neck has been broken and there are multiple bruises covering her body."
Gibbs nodded, glancing over at Jenny. She'd never been comfortable in autopsy, but she'd been determined to bring the evidence herself. Her face was ashen and he could see her shaking as she stood next to him.
"They don't look recent," Gibbs said pointedly.
Ducky shook his head.
"No, indeed they aren't. It would appear that our young lieutenant had been an unfortunate victim of abuse."
Jenny's eyes widened and she bolted from autopsy, throwing her hand over her mouth as she ran. As they entered the room, Burley and Decker watched her push past them and Burley smirked.
"Told you she'd run."
Gibbs frowned. Something was definitely wrong with her.
Jenny sat at her desk with her head resting on her arms, hoping that the nausea she felt would pass. This case was affecting her more than she'd wanted to admit. Once the abuse had been confirmed by Ducky, she'd felt so sickened by the thought that another woman was going through the same situation she currently found herself in.
"You okay, Shepard?"
Slowly, Jenny raised her head and looked at Burley. The concern she saw in his eyes was genuine and she frowned. He very rarely took anything seriously, but the look he was giving her now made her feel slightly uncomfortable because of the intensity. She shook her head slowly and stood, making her way to the elevator.
"Can you give Gibbs a message for me?"
Burley nodded.
"Sure."
"Tell him that I had to go home. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Take care, Shepard."
She smiled weakly at him and disappeared into the elevator. Burley watched her go and when he sat down, he frowned, thinking. Autopsy had always been difficult for her, but she had never actually left early. Gibbs rounded the corner and when he took in Jenny's empty desk, he looked to Burley for an answer.
"Went home early, boss. Any idea what's going on with her?"
Gibbs shrugged.
"Nope."
Jenny had gone to bed as soon as she'd gotten back to the comfort of her bed and she was sleeping peacefully for once. Her eyes flew open as the hand clamped down on her mouth and she instinctively tried to pull away. His face was inches from her own and the smile he gave her was anything but happy.
"Did you really think a lock would keep me out, Jenny?"
She looked around, searching for her gun. As if he could read her mind, he held up the weapon, dangling it in front of her.
"Looking for this?"
Her head whipped back as his hand connected with her face. Tears welled up in her eyes and a whimper escaped her.
"You can't just decide that our relationship is over, Jenny. There are two of us involved, it should be a mutual decision."
The sound of her neighbour's car door slamming made her eyes dart to the window and he shook his head, already knowing what she was thinking. The gun collided with the side of her head and before she even had time to feel afraid, Jenny's vision had gone black. He frowned, a bit annoyed. He hadn't wanted to leave her unconscious, but he couldn't risk her alerting the neighbours. He stood, giving her one last look before leaving. After all, it wasn't any fun to threaten her while she wasn't awake.
"Hey Decker, where's Shepard?"
Decker frowned, looking around the squad room.
"No idea. She left early yesterday, but I figured she would be back today."
Burley shrugged.
"Gibbs isn't gonna like this."
"Like what, Burley?"
Decker smiled.
"We haven't found anything new on our case. Lieutenant Coulter didn't have many friends, her colleagues say that she spent most of her free time volunteering at the local animal shelter, she's as clean as they come."
"Keep looking. Anyone seen Shepard?"
"Negative, boss. Haven't seen her since yesterday."
Gibbs picked up the receiver from his desk and began furiously punching buttons. When it went to voicemail, he frowned.
"Shepard, where are you? You'd better have a damn good reason for not being here."
Just as he hung up the phone, the elevator chimed and when Jenny stepped out, Decker swore quietly. She was dressed in the same clothes she'd been in the day before, her hair was tangled, the circles under her eyes so dark that she looked as though she hadn't slept in years, and the bruise on the side of her face was even darker than it had been the day before.
"What the hell happened to you, Shepard? Are you okay?" Decker asked.
She didn't appear to have heard him, and when she held out a piece of paper to Gibbs, he noticed how badly her hands were shaking.
"I found Lieutenant Coulter's ex-husband's address and phone number this morning," she said, her voice so quiet he almost didn't hear, "Didn't get an answer, but I'll keep trying."
Gibbs took her by the shoulders and led her to his desk.
"Sit down, Shepard, before you fall over."
He turned to his other two agents, looking at them more seriously than he ever had before.
"Burley, get Ducky. Decker, get Shepard some water. Now."
They scattered, and Gibbs leaned down to examine her, careful not to touch her in a way that could hurt her.
"What the hell, Shepard?"
"It's nothing, Gibbs."
"Like hell. Talk to me. What happened?"
Jenny shrugged, then winced as a blinding pain shot through her body.
"Broke up with a guy. He didn't take it well. Showed up at my place last night, hit me with my own gun."
Gibbs stared at her like she'd grown another head for so long that she fidgeted in her chair.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Gibbs?"
"Why the hell didn't you turn him in, Shepard?"
"Wouldn't do any good," Jenny answered quietly.
"Call the police, get him arrested and file a restraining order against the bastard. At least then you can—"
"Gibbs..." the pain in her voice was unmistakable, "he's a cop."
As the realisation of what she was saying hit, Gibbs ran a hand through his hair and sighed. She was right. Turning him in wouldn't do anything. Decker tapped Jenny on the shoulder and when she turned, he handed her a cup of water. Her hands shook as she attempted to drink it and Gibbs took it from her gently. He held it up for her and when she was through, he gave a her reassuring smile.
"Jethro, what's the urgency? I was in the middle of—oh, dear. Jennifer, are you alright?"
Jenny looked up at the doctor and tried to smile.
"I'm fine, Ducky. Gibbs is making a big deal out of nothing."
He frowned and helped her from the chair.
"Let's have a look, shall we?"
He led her from the squad room and when they had disappeared from sight, Burley turned to Gibbs.
"She okay, boss?"
"She'll live."
"She say how it happened?"
"Boyfriend didn't take too kindly to being dumped."
Burley swore and Gibbs glared at him.
"Sorry, but damn. What'd he hit her with, a baseball bat?"
"Her SIG."
Decker whistled.
"He hit her with her own gun?"
Gibbs tilted his head in answer and Burley frowned again.
"What about her neck? Did you see the finger marks?"
Decker nodded.
"I thought maybe Shepard was just kinky. You know, little rough in bed?"
"Not that rough, Decker."
Jenny's voice startled him and he spun around to face her. His face turned a deep shade of crimson and Gibbs smirked. She sat down carefully, well aware of everyone's eyes on her and when she glanced up, they all averted their eyes.
"Is there anything else that needs to be looked at?"
Jenny shook her head and Gibbs jerked his thumb toward the elevator.
"Conference room, Shepard."
She stood and followed him, frowning when he hit the emergency switch.
"I want you to take the rest of the day off. Get some rest."
"I'm fine, boss."
"Wasn't a suggestion. You look like hell."
"I..I can't go home, Gibbs. He already picked my lock once. What's to stop him from doing it again?"
He frowned, thinking. She had a point. He watched her carefully and sighed, running his hand through his hair.
"Okay. You can stay, but you're on desk duty for the day. I'm not risking it."
She nodded, then winced. When they exited the elevator, she could feel the eyes of Decker and Burley on her, but she did her best to ignore them. This was going down as one of the worst days she'd ever had on her calendar.
What seemed like an eternity later, Jenny stood from her desk and prepared to go home. She was still nervous about it and when Gibbs stopped her with a hand on her arm, she frowned.
"Decker's taking you home. He's going to check the area, make sure it's clear, and drop you off. If he sees your car, he'll know when you're home."
"Thanks, Gibbs," she said softly.
Decker smiled as he led her to his car, stopping to open her door for her. Things were silent on the drive to her house and as they parked across the street, she paused. The thought of her house was irrationally terrifying and she couldn't move. Decker noticed her hesitation and patted her leg gently.
"Don't worry. I'll check it out first. Stay here."
Jenny nodded and watched him quietly cross the street. She'd never really watched Decker in action before and she decided to take the opportunity to observe him. His steps were quick and sure, his firearm raised steadily in front of him and when he opened her door with the keys she'd given him, he scanned the front room cautiously. She sat back as he disappeared into her house and closed her eyes.
She'd not felt this exhausted in a long time and she found her thoughts returning to her boss. He'd been on her mind quite often, especially after he'd given her a ride home from the Quarry House Tavern two months ago, and she smiled just thinking about him. He'd been extremely considerate of her today and she made a mental note to thank him in the morning. Decker still hadn't returned and Jenny frowned, sitting upright. An uneasy feeling crept over her and she opened the car door, pulling out her weapon.
She entered the house slowly, scanning the room for any sign of movement. She didn't call for Decker, knowing that her voice would give away her location, but as she stepped onto the second landing at the top of the stairs, she felt her heart stop. Decker was lying unconscious on the floor and she instinctively grabbed the phone from her hallway table.
Jenny ducked into the bathroom, locking the door behind her after clearing it, and frantically dialed.
"Yeah. Gibbs."
"Gibbs, he's here."
"Shepard?"
"Yeah. Jackson's somewhere in my house. He knocked Decker out."
"Are you safe?"
"Locked in the bathroom. No way in other than the door. I've got the entrance covered."
"I'm on my way. Stay where you are, Shepard."
The click in her ear told her that he'd hung up and she raised her gun back to the door. Her hand was surprisingly steady, but the longer she kept watch, the more her eyes began to burn. A crash against the door caused her to flinch and the loud voice made her blood freeze.
"Did you really think your bodyguard would stop me, Jenny? I'm not leaving until you open the door."
"Go away, Chris."
Her voice was steady. Point to Jenny.
"Open the door, Jenny."
"Why would I do that?"
"Open the goddamned door, Jenny!"
Jenny blinked hard. Her tired eyes burned and she frowned. She heard the sound of footsteps and stood, tightening her grip on her gun. The sound of her boss's voice made her gasp and the struggle she could hear from the other side of the door made her automatically reach for the lock. Her hand flew to her mouth at the quiet knock and she jumped.
"Shepard?"
"Gibbs?"
"Open the door."
She did as he asked and when she saw the crowbar in his hand, she frowned.
"Must have been what he used to knock out Decker," Gibbs explained.
"Is he okay?"
He nodded.
"He'll be fine. He's already on his way home."
"Jackson?" she said quietly.
"Ran when I grabbed the crowbar. Don't think he'll be back tonight."
She wasn't convinced.
"What if he does?"
"Not taking that chance," he answered, "You're staying with me tonight."
A loud gunshot rang out in the silence and Jenny would have sworn that she felt the air move as a bullet rushed past her. Gibbs threw his body into hers and when they landed on the ground, he looked down at her.
"You hit?"
She shook her head, all too aware of his body covering her own.
"You?"
"Nope."
A second gunshot shattered the silence and he grabbed her by the wrist as he stood. They ran at breakneck speed through her house and as they reached the steps, Jackson's voice called out of the darkness.
"You're not leaving here alive, Jenny."
Gibbs shoved her out the door.
"Get to the truck, Shepard."
He pulled his weapon and fired, following behind her. A loud yell told them that one of his shots had hit its target and as he climbed up into the driver's seat, she looked at him seriously.
"What if he follows us?"
"With a round to the leg, that might be a bit difficult."
He gave her a reassuring smile and sped down the road. Despite his words, Jenny found herself constantly checking the rearview mirror.
"He's not following us, Shepard. Tell me what I need to know to file my report."
"Gibbs, I told you it won't-"
"He attacked two of my agents and me personally. No way in hell I'm not turning this bastard in."
Jenny sighed, knowing he was doing the right thing.
"His name is Christopher Jackson. 34. Works for DC Metro. We dated for a month and he hit me one night when he'd been drinking. I told him that it wasn't working out and he tried to strangle me. When I finally got away from him, he threw a beer bottle at my head."
She pointed to the cut on her head and he nodded.
"He was waiting for me last night when I came home from work. He'd picked my lock and he hit me with my SIG. When I came around, he was gone. Everything else, you already know."
When they pulled into the driveway of his house, Gibbs turned to her and took out the camera he kept under his seat.
"Stay still," he instructed.
She did as he asked, fighting the urge to speak. He finished taking pictures and stepped out of the truck, walking around to the other side. He helped her down, noticing how slowly she moved now that the adrenaline had worn off, and looked at her seriously.
"Jen...are you okay?"
She nodded, glancing up at him. He led her into the house, locking the door for the first time in his life, and he smiled at the sight of her in his home. In spite of the seriousness of the situation, he couldn't help but notice how attractive she was. Even bruised and exhausted, she was breathtaking. How anyone could have ever hurt her...
Jenny was speaking to him and he was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't hear her. When she tapped him lightly on the shoulder, he finally snapped back to the present.
"What did you say?"
"This will be good practice for us spending time outside of the office," she repeated, referring to the case they'd gotten.
Right. Their undercover assignment in Europe. He'd completely forgotten about it. He cleared his throat and led her to the stairs.
"The spare bedroom is upstairs. Come on. You should rest."
She followed him, looking around her curiously. When she was standing in the room, Gibbs turned to her apologetically.
"I don't think I have anything that would be more comfortable."
She smiled.
"This is fine, Gibbs. Thank you. For everything."
He touched her shoulder gently and gave her a smile.
"I'll be in the basement if you need anything. Just follow the stairs in the kitchen."
Before she could respond, he had disappeared and she sat down wearily on the bed. The adrenaline had completely left her, leaving her more exhausted than she'd ever been in her life. She buried herself under the blankets on the bed, inhaling a scent that was strangely comforting to her. She was asleep within minutes.
Gibbs set down his sander and took a slow drink of his bourbon. Though she was asleep, he was distinctly aware of Jenny's presence upstairs and he found it difficult to think of anything else. He picked up the sander again, wondering how on earth he was going explain her spending the night with him to his team. He had to assume that Decker would tell Burley. Her safety was priority, however, and he supposed a few rumours would be a fair price to pay.
The scream ripped through the quiet of the night and he ran for the stairs. He took them two at a time and when he made it to the spare bedroom, his heart broke. Jenny was tossing in the bed and even from where he stood, he could see the tears on her face. He crossed to her and lightly shook her shoulder.
"Shepard. Wake up."
Her eyes flew open and she screamed when she saw him. He held her down gently, waiting for her to recognise him, and when he saw the familiarity fill her eyes, he smiled.
"Easy, Shepard. It's okay. You're safe. He's not here."
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and he could feel her shaking in his embrace.
"It's okay, Jen. Just a dream. Try to get back to sleep."
She shook her head.
"I don't think I can sleep anymore."
"Okay," he shrugged, "you can come down to the basement with me, if you want."
"What do you do all night in that basement, Gibbs?"
"I build a boat."
Jenny frowned.
"Like...a ship in a bottle?"
He held out his hand and pulled her to her feet, leading her down the steps.
"You'll see."
The basement door opened and when she saw the shell of his boat, she laughed.
"Wow. You weren't kidding."
He gestured to the stool by his workbench and began working again. She glanced around, noticing the file that contained the information on their next undercover case. When he nodded his assent, she picked it up and began to read, her eyes flitting across the pages.
"Newlyweds Mark and Jennifer Nielsen, vacationing in Europe on their honeymoon," she read, "She's a teacher of ASL and he's a former marine. That's appropriate. He has ties to an arms dealer overseas. That will be fun for you."
"Wait, why do you get to keep your name?"
Jenny frowned.
"Jennifer is a very common name," she paused, "I guess "Jethro" would be a bit too unusual."
"What's wrong with my name?"
"Nothing," she said quickly, "but it's too uncommon. Makes you stand out."
Gibbs considered her for a moment. She made a very good point.
"Still...Mark?"
She laughed.
"Could be worse. Could be George."
As he watched her laugh, Gibbs realised that he was in huge trouble. There was no denying that he was incredibly attracted to the woman in front of him, and in a few days, he would have to pretend that they were married. God, he was screwed.
"Jethro?"
Her voice was soft, hesitant, as if she was unsure of what she was about to say. He glanced up at her, and she set the file back down on the table.
"Thank you," she whispered, her eyes meeting his slowly.
He nodded, his anger flaring up as he took in the bruises marring her porcelain skin. He wanted to murder the man who had dared to lay a hand on her, and he took a deep breath, forcing his fury back down.
"You're welcome."
Gibbs swore, as he watched her flip through the file again, that if he ever saw him again, he would kill him. Or worse. He tried to tell himself that his desire to protect her was simply because she was a valued member of his team, that he couldn't afford to have anything happen to her, but even as he did, he knew it was a lie. He was attracted to her, and damn him, it was only growing stronger every day. He had no idea how he was going to keep things strictly professional in Europe, but he had to try. No matter how useless the attempt seemed to be.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed!