A/N: Hey all. I know it's been a while, and I am truly sorry for that. A brief explanation should you be looking for one: Way, way back, as I was starting to write this chapter, I got the news that my mother was going to marry a rapist. Needless to say, any and all desire I had for writing go wiped out pretty quickly. By the time I did want to write again, I had started college and a new job that sucks up ALL MY TIME.
So I apologize.
On a better note, I start winter break tomorrow, so I should have quite a bit more time to write. And I think I've finally got things sorted out enough for next semester.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Well, Alana is. But no one else.

By the time they arrived at the Navy Yard, Tony was sitting at his desk, head in hands as he stared at a paper there. Abby and McGee stood with him; Ziva sat at her desk watching them.

"DiNozzo! What are you doing?" Gibbs called as he, and Jenny, with Alana in her arms, made their way to the bullpen.

"Somebody's setting me up," Tony explained.

"Two surgically removed legs dumped into a training area. Do ya think?" Jenny stopped at the bullpen entrance while Gibbs continued to his desk.

"Yeah!"

Sighing, McGee cut in before the other agent could dig himself into a deeper hole than he was already in, "We're trying to make a list of all the people who hate Tony."

"Hate me? Nobody hates me," Tony denied quickly.

"Paula Cassidy," McGee stated.

"Pa'la?" Alana sat up straighter in Jenny's arms at the mention of the female agent.

"She's not here Lana," Gibbs rejoined Jenny, frowning slightly when she slumped into her mother once more.

"Wait! Paula knows Lana and I don't?" McGee cried.

"Yeah, McGee," Gibbs glared.

"Hey, hey, hey," Tony's shouts effectively brought all attention back to him, "People like me, I'm a nice guy."

"What about the, ah, woman who posted your picture on the Herpes alert website?" McGee reminded. Jenny immediately covered one of Alana's ears, pressing the child's head and other ear into her chest.

Tony's head shot up from the list he'd been looking over once more and he almost whispered, "Lieutenant Pam Kim."

"She so went fatal attraction on you," Abby added.

Tony sucked in a breath, "Boiled the bunny."

"Oh," McGee snapped his fingers, "Don't forget about Mrs. D."

"Another girlfriend?" Ziva asked.

"No, she, uh, threatened to cut off his," McGee glanced at Alana and quickly stopped speaking, wiggling his pinky finger instead, "when Tony put her husband away for murdering his first wife."

"Speaking of wives, what about your ex-girlfriend Moni-cah?" Ziva leaned over her desk as she spoke.

"Well I always break up with them when I find out they're married, Zee-vah!"

Ziva sank back into her chair, on her face a look of mock indignation.

"Enough!" Gibbs called out loudly as he strode back to his desk, and started going through drawers.

Almost as soon as he had spoken, Ziva was jumping back to her feet shouting, "The personnel in the evidence garage!"

Tony let his pencil drop back onto his desk and rolled his head towards Ziva in an exaggerated motion, "What about 'em?"

"They hate you," Ziva shrugged.

"She's right, you never wait your turn to check in evidence," McGee informed Tony when the senior agent turned to him for support.

"And women do not appreciate appreciate being called," Ziva pause as she came around her desk, "baggy bunnies."

"Alright! DiNozzo," Gibbs slammed a pad of paper onto Tony's desk, making all four team members surrounding it to jump and effectively ending the conversation. "Eight years, three different forces."

"Well that's a lot of names and people to remember Boss," Tony almost whined.

Looking up, Gibbs met Jenny's gaze and rolled his eyes before quickly delegating out tasks, "Ziva, take the women. McGee, you take the men. I'll pull case files of the ones DiNozzo put away who are on the list."

Tony dropped his head into his hands until the end of Gibbs' statement filtered through his brain, "Wait a minute, you never do anything." Gibbs lifted a hand to headslap DiNozzo, but he caught sight of Alana out of the corner of his eye and dropped his hand. Tony, suddenly realizing his danger hurried on to say, "Because you're such a good delegator."

Gibbs gave Tony a look before dropping the pen he'd been using and going over to Jenny. They watched McGee and Ziva go to their desks and Abby hug Tony before hurrying off to the elevator. Taking Jenny by the elbow he led her to the alcove of the stairs. He smiled down at Alana when she looked up at him, and he leaned down to plant a kiss on her nose.

Straightening, he met Jenny's eyes. When she opened her mouth to speak Gibbs shook his head, "Not here."

Jenny sighed, but nodded all the same, "Okay, but we need to talk." Gibbs' eyebrows furrowed and Jenny hastened to add, "About the case."

Gibbs' face immediately relaxed and he nodded, "I need to check on Abs."

Having expected as much Jenny didn't protest. However, she did reach out to stop him before he could get too far away. Pulling him back to her she kissed him deeply, whispering, "I love you," when they broke apart. Gibbs just offered her a half smile and ruffled Alana's hair before turning in the direction of the elevators.

NCIS

When the elevator arrived on the floor to Abby's lab the first thing he noticed was the lack of music.

"Abbs?" he called out, not immediately seeing her. Abby came flying out of the back room at his voice. She went straight for him, practically leaping into his arms and proceeding to squeeze the life out of him. When her hug had eased enough for him to breath Gibbs said quietly into her ear, "Show me what you got, Abbs."

Abby broke off the hug immediately, grabbing Gibbs' hand and leading him over to her monitor, "The computer found three points from Tony's fingerprint to the sample, most prosecutors want eleven."

"Well, technically Abby," the voice of Chip spoke from behind them.

Abby let out a scream, spinning around that the sound of his voice, "Chip!"

"Sorry… Abby," though he said it, Chip didn't seem at all apologetic, "I was just saying that the, ah, minimum to go to court is one." Abby stared at him, looking more like a lost little puppy in that moment than Gibbs had ever seen her. "Uh, I'm just saying that, you know, people have been convicted on less," Chip came around the table as he spoke, stopping directly before Abby.

Gibbs eyed him rather suspiciously; if this man made his girl cry then he'd be out on his tail no matter how good he was. Chip was careful to avoid Gibbs' gaze, focusing instead on Abby. Abby eventually turned back to the computer. She tapped silently away on the keys, deepening Gibbs' frown.

But before he could turn on her lab assistant Abby spoke up, "Okay, I've scanned the molds Ducky made of Tony's mouth into the computer. The program uses laser scans of 3D objects to create 3D images for comparison."

"The computer generate a holo-volume overlay," Chip added, "measures intertooth spacing, dental arc, tooth thickness—"

"Okay!" Gibbs cut the man off sharply, "Why?" He saw the slight smirk form on Abby's face and couldn't quite keep back the grin.

"Ducky found a bite mark on one of the legs," Abby explained, "The actual mark had been cut off, but he managed to get an impression off the underlying tissue. We're gonna run Tony's teeth against it."

"Okay. Do it," Gibbs nodded towards the computer and Abby turned back to it immediately.

An image popped up on the plasma and Gibbs moved closer to it as Abby dictated, "Here is Ducky's muscle tissue scan. A little 3D magic for clarity… And I give you the killer's incisors. Next step. And, don't worry Gibbs. The chances of even one of Tony's teeth matching are like a hundred thousand to one."

Gibbs looked back at her over his shoulder and nodded, wondering if she was trying to reassure him or herself. "Do it Abby."

She clicked away on her keys and an image of a mouth appeared above the tissue scan, slowly descending to the bite. The instant the mouth image touched the skin teeth began turning green, little yellow lines with "Match" written next to them popping up in each tooth.
Abby and Gibbs both stared at the screen, frozen in utter horror. It wasn't until Gibbs heard Abby loose a strangled sob that he was able to move again. He hurried to her side, wrapping her in his embrace, rocking and shushing her as she choked back sobs.

Slowly, Abby calmed and Gibbs lifted her face back up so that they could make eye contact. It was only in that moment that Gibbs realized Chip had disappeared once more. Dismissing it, as he really couldn't care less where the man got to, Gibbs turned his attention back to Abby. "Tony didn't do this Abbs. He's being set up. We'll get 'em. I promise."

Slowly, Abby nodded. Gibbs smiled his half smile and leaned forward to kiss her forehead before heading towards the elevator.

NCIS

To Gibbs' great relief, Cynthia wasn't at her desk and he took a moment to compose himself. While he wouldn't admit it to anyone, this had him rattled. With a sigh, Gibbs scrubbed a hand down his face.

Right now, he wanted comfort from Jenny, but he knew that couldn't happen. He was sure that, until this whole mess was sorted out his fiancé would stay firmly hidden behind the Director and he didn't think even Alana would be able to bring her out.

With a deep breath Gibbs opened the door. He wasn't at all surprised to see Jenny sitting at her desk, glasses on, pen in hand, and files before her. Alana was seated on the couch, a child's keyboard on the table before her that Gibbs recognized but had forgotten he owned.

Alana's head shot up when Gibbs entered the room. Upon recognizing that it was Daddy, Alana smiled widely but didn't stop in her playing. A faint smile on his face, Gibbs turned back to Jenny in time to see her own smile disappearing.

"Jen," he stated tonelessly.

"Jethro," she returned, just as toneless.

They stared at each other for what seemed to be several long minutes but could just have easily been a few short seconds. Finally Jenny broke their gaze, having obtained as much information from him as she needed.

With a sigh she stood up, "Jethro, I know DiNozzo didn't do this." Gibbs opened his mouth in attempt to cut her off, but she didn't notice, taking off her glasses before slowly making her way around the desk. "But I also know that it would be political suicide if we got caught investigating one of our own agents." Gibbs tried to cut her off again, turning as she began to circle the room. But, again, she didn't notice, "Appearances matter, Jethro. In this world, sometimes more than facts! It could ruin the agency. Look at Robert Novak and the CIA!"

He frowned a little to hide his smile, she seemed almost proud of herself for that example. He was pretty sure she had made her point by now, but could also see that she was still fully engaged in argument mode and remained silent.

Jenny rested her palms on the conference table, leaning on it slightly, "You have a responsibility to your man, I know that. But I have a responsibility to the entire agency."

She was practically starting to repeat herself now. Really not wanting to stand here for the next hour it would take for her to wind down and get to the point Gibbs finally cut in, "Jen—"

"I'm not forgetting the time I stepped in it, and you covered my tail until I could get out of it. But that was alone, undercover, and in the field. Half of NCIS already knows about his. I know what you have to do Jethro, and I won't stop you. But officially, I am suspending you from investigating this further and I am turning it over to the F.B.I!"

They had come full circle now, Jenny even going around her desk only to stop her circling a foot in front of him. "I know," Gibbs spoke softly; trying to calm her back down so he could ask what he needed, "One request—"

"I'll see that Fornell runs the investigation," she cut him off. "I always could read your mind," she added, the look on her face smug.

"No," Gibbs shook his head. Considering that his request had absolutely nothing to do with who ran the investigation, she'd done a pretty poor job of reading his mind. He'd been expecting the Director when he walked into her office, and he'd gotten her. But there had been an edge that suggested that Jenny had not been able to bury herself as far behind her professional mask as usual. They'd dealt with cases like this before, and even though DiNozzo was practically family, it shouldn't have made much of a difference.

Something was definitely wrong.

Jenny was staring at him when he came back to the present, "No?"

"No Jen," Gibbs shook his head. Jenny's expression darkened and Gibbs reached out to grab her shoulders as much to calm her as to keep her from moving away. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Jenny scoffed, attempting to move away.

Gibbs tightened his grip on her, "Jen. Something's wrong. I know you."

For a moment Jenny glared at him, and Gibbs worried that maybe he hadn't apologized enough this morning. Sure, he knew that he'd have more to go when it came to apologizing, but he'd thought he'd done enough that getting through a day of work should have been no problem. Finally, Jenny sagged slightly in his grasp. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thrust herself against him. Without hesitation Gibbs wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry silently for a time.

When he felt her reach up to wipe away the tears, Gibbs began rocking slowly. Stroking a hand down her hair he whispered, "What's wrong Jen?"

"I don't know," she whispered back, her voice still choked with tears. The words seemed to break the slight calm that had descended upon her, and the tears started once more. "I don't know," she repeated, the distress she was feeling making her voice crack.

"Okay," Gibbs whispered, "It's okay." He pulled her even closer to him. One of Jenny's arms wrapped around his waist, holding both of them in place, her other hand gripped the lapel of his jacket so hard her knuckles were turning white.

Rubbing her back Gibbs told her, "When this is over we'll go away. Just the three of us."

"Jethro, I have an agency to run, I can't just leave." She found herself grinning through the tears.

"Christmas then," Gibbs amended quickly.

Jenny nodded slowly, taking several deep breaths to calm herself down. Wiping a hand under her eyes she leaned away from Gibbs slightly, "I can live with that." She kissed him quickly when he grinned down at her. Breaking the kiss just as quickly, as she needed to get to work as much as he did, she turned back to the desk, "I have to call the FBI, and your daughter wanted a word with you earlier."

Gibbs caught her as she tried to move away and pulled her back for one more kiss. He flashed her another grin as they parted and let go. Jenny didn't waste any time in turning around and flouncing back to her desk, knowing full well that Gibbs would be watching.

Sure enough he was still staring at her when she picked up the phone, and he didn't move until she started speaking.

Jenny watched Gibbs take a seat next to Alana and begin pressing buttons on the keyboard while she spoke to the FBI. The phone call was surprisingly short and Gibbs looked up the moment she put the phone down. Their eyes locked and for a long moment they simply stared at each other before Jenny inclined her head in a short nod.

Gibbs leaned over and kissed Alana's forehead as he stood and made his towards the door. He slowed just enough when he reached Jenny's desk to reach out and grab her hand. She squeezed his fingers briefly and flashed him a smile, letting go of his hand almost a quickly as she had taken it.

NCIS

Gibbs had only been at his desk a few minutes when Abby came up from her floor. She hurried over to Tony's desk, giving him a good hug before leaning against the cubicle wall and engaging him in conversation.

They appeared to be arguing quietly when Tony called out, "Hey Boss, c'mere." Only just managing to keep from rolling his eyes, Gibbs tossed his pen down and rounded his desk for the senior agent's. He'd indulge Tony for now because the man was going to be looking for any way to relieve his anxiety.

Gibbs had only just made it to Tony's desk when he heard the ding of an arriving elevator and Abby's muttered, "Oh… This is not good."

Fornell strode into the building, another agent trailing behind him. He stopped just before the circle of desks, "Gibbs. DiNutso." He paused a moment before identifying the dark skinned man behind him, "This is Agent Sachs."

There was another awkward pause and Gibbs quickly rounded Tony's desk, indicating with a nod of his head that Fornell should follow him to the window. "He's being framed," Gibbs asserted the moment Fornell joined him.

"I believe you," Fornell told him, "I've been there myself Jethro. I'll take care of him."

"I know," Gibbs assured, "But I want to be kept in the loop."

"Oh now I'm hurt. Saying you don't trust me?"

"Whoever set this up, Tobias, is a pro. If this were to go to court right now, DiNozzo wouldn't stand a chance."

"Well I gotta take him into custody for questioning." The way Gibbs looked at him was almost a smile and Fornell knew better than to insist on taking Tony. Biting back a groan he muttered, "Or… I guess, we could question him here." This time Gibbs did smile, complete with lifting both eyebrows in a way that had Fornell suppressing an amused groan.

Expressions sobering once more, Gibbs led the way back to Tony's desk, "Tony. Fornell's gonna question you."

"You mean interrogate me," Tony grumbled as he stood.

"Question," Gibbs insisted, lowering his voice, "Draw it out."

"After we talk to Agent DiNozzo we'll need to requisition any evidence involved in the case," Agent Sachs spoke up, drawing icy stares from everyone in the room as he attempted and failed to appear competent and in control. Even Fornell stare at his underling as Tony made his way out of the bullpen and towards interrogation. Fornell locked eyes with Gibbs, barely resisting the urge to shake his head in annoyance before turning to follow Tony.

Gibbs watched them leave, Tony and Fornell striking up a conversation instantly as Sachs trailed behind. As soon as they were out of sight he turned back to his team, inquiring about their evidence. The team hurried to create duplicates and make sure that they still had everything they would need to clear Tony.

NCIS

Several hours later, Gibbs stood in the hallway to interrogation, Fornell with him.

"US Attorney's gonna see this as a heinous crime Jethro," Fornell kept his voice quiet as he paced.

"It is a heinous crime, Fornell. Tony didn't do it."

"Without an alibi…" Meeting Fornell's eyes, Gibbs sighed. He knew where the other man was headed, and as much as he may not like it, there wasn't much he was going to be able to do. "I'd be remiss if we didn't detain him. People are going to think we're orchestrating a cover up."

Gibbs leaned his head back against the wall, he did not like it. But it was the right move, the only move. So he pushed himself off the wall, nodded and made his way over to interrogation.

Tony stood up when he walked in, "Finally, how did I do?"

"Fine."

"Fine?" the senior agent looked insulted, "I thought I was Oscar material."

"Fornell's not gonna book you."

Tony flicked his eyes over to Fornell as he came in behind Gibbs, "Uh huh."

"But he is going to take you into custody until we figure out a few things."

The look on Tony's face was almost more than he could take and he sighed internally, wondering how exactly he planned to stay strong through this thing. Unbidden, his thoughts turned to what would happen if they were unable to clear Tony.

Watching him walk down the hallway with Fornell, he was suddenly struck with the horrible image of him being led away after trial. The possibility of him being convicted so real in this moment that it was staggering.

He was grateful that Tony didn't turn back, but still he waited until the two agents had turned the corner before heading off.

NCIS

Jenny and Alana were sitting on her couch reading a book when Gibbs walked in sometime later. He had stopped by the lab and ended up consoling Abby, then checked in on the progress the others were making before coming up. Jenny glanced up, giving him a brief smile, before looing back down at the book, giving no other indication that she had seen him. Gibbs leaned back against the wall, listening as Jenny continued reading, Alana occasionally joining in on words she recognized.

When they finished the book Jenny put it away, nudging Alana toward the door when she protested.

Alana's eyes lit when they landed on Gibbs. "Daddy!" she shouted, vaulting over the coffee table, much too excited to go around.

Gibbs' face turned from excitement to stern at Alana's actions. But he hesitated, looking to Jenny in slight apprehension.

Jenny's eyes widened slightly as the reason for Gibbs' reluctance to reprimand Alana dawned on her. In the past, Gibbs had most likely been the only true authority figure Alana recognized, and as such he would have been the one to set out ground rules and handle discipline. Jenny knew that Alana would continue to look to Gibbs for that stability and guidance, but as she was generally a good kid, such action would rarely be needed. It was by that same note that made it impossible for Jenny or Gibbs to predict how Alana would react to Gibbs' typically stern but gentle reprimands.

Standing slowly, Jenny called out, "Alana." At the sharp tone her mother used, Alana wheeled around quickly, her hand clenching behind her back, lower lip between her teeth. Jenny glanced up at Gibbs, telling him silently to back her up before turning to Alana, "You know better than to run over the furniture." Eyes still fixed on the floor, Alana nodded.

"Lana, what do you say?" Gibbs asked.

"Sorry Mommy," Alana mumbled, her eyes flicking up just in time to see her mother nod solemnly.

"Did you break anything?" Gibbs asked, crouching down some. Hesitantly, Alana shook her head. "Are you sure?" Again, Alana shook her head. Nodding to himself, Gibbs stood, nudging Alana forward and instructing, "Go check."

Alana scrambled forward, dropping to her knees before the coffee table. She gripped the table edges as she leaned forward to examine the table carefully. Once she was satisfied she pushed herself up and turned back around to face her father.

"I didn't breaked anything Daddy," she informed him. Gibbs nodded calmly, indicating Jenny with his head. Alana turned to her mother once more, arms wrapping around behind her again, "I really is sorry Mommy."

Crouching down, Jenny smiled, "I know sweetheart. Just as long as you know not to do it again." Alana nodded vigorously, and Jenny rocked forward to place a gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead. Standing once more, Jenny turned to Gibbs, "How is everyone holding up?"

Gibbs rubbed at the back of his head with a sigh. "Abby's having a crisis, Ziva and McGee are working, Ducky…" Gibbs trailed off with a shrug.

Jenny nodded in understanding, "DiNozzo?"

"Fornell took him in. I'll bring him some food in a bit."

"Can I come Daddy?" Alana piped up, repeating herself as both adults looked down, "Can I come bring Tony food too?"

Gibbs glanced from the hopeful expression on Alana's face to Jenny. "I don't know," Jenny spoke slowly. Alana's face fell almost immediately; she understood that that answer, in that tone was just about as good as a no. Pursing her lips, Jenny looked up at Gibbs, "It might not be a good idea for Lana to see Tony there. But I also think that seeing her would lift his spirits some…" she trailed off looking uncertain.

Gibbs nods to Jenny and kneels so that he is at the same height as Alana. "Lana?" he waits until he's certain that he has her entire attention. When Alana has turned completely to face him, Gibbs continues, "Do you know where Tony is?"

Alana looks at him in confusion, "Did Tony get sick and go to the doctors again Daddy?"

Gibbs shook his head, though he couldn't keep the slight smile off his face. "Tony got in trouble and Abby, McGee, Ziva, and your mom and I are working to get him back out. But Uncle Toby had to put Tony in lock up so that we can all do our jobs."

Alana's eyes went wide, "Uncle Toby gived Tony a time out?"

Muffling her laughter, Jenny crouched down next to Gibbs, "Something like that sweetheart. Except putting Tony in time out is a little different. You can't just make Tony sit on a couch, so Uncle Toby had to put him in an empty room without walls so they can see him at all times."

"But how come Daddy has to make Tony not in trouble no more?" Alana stared at her parents in confusion.

"Because," it was Gibbs that answered, "Tony didn't do anything wrong. A bag guy did, but he made it look like Tony was the bad guy so now we have to prove that Tony's good."

Alana nodded solemnly, "Okay Daddy. C'n we bring Tony food now?"

"In a bit," Gibbs stood, offering a hand to Jenny and pulling her up next to him, "I'm gonna check on the team. Be back soon."

NCIS

Gibbs was back sooner than any of them had expected, "Ziva's gonna interview Lieutenant Pam Kim, McGee's looking for George Stewart."

Jenny nodded, she was sitting behind her desk once more, Alana curled up in the corner of the couch talking to Teddy. Making one last mark on her paper and closing the file, Jenny looked up at Gibbs, "Their connection to Tony?"

"Lieutenant left her fiancé to date Tony. Didn't end well. Stewart, fired for contaminating blood samples, Tony caught him."

Jenny nodded once more, digesting the information. She glanced over at Alana, making sure the girl was still occupied. Turning back to Gibbs she asked quietly, "How are they?"

Gibbs lifted one shoulder in a shrug, "Ziva and McGee are working. Abby's upset."

"Understandably," Jenny sighed. She looked over at Alana once more, "I'll go check on Abby while you take Alana to see Tony."

Gibbs nodded, rounding the desk quickly and placing a gentle kiss on Jenny's forehead. He didn't linger long, and continued back around the desk towards the couch, "C'mon Lana. We're gonna bring Tony lunch."

Alana's head shot up at the news and she was off the couch in a second. Turning back to the couch, she placed Teddy down carefully, "You stay there Teddy." She pointed her finger at the bear and waited a moment to be sure that she was obeyed. When she was sure that Teddy wasn't going anywhere, she spun around and ran across the room to her mom. She didn't slow any, and had thrown herself across Jenny's knees and hugged her tight around the waist before Jenny could even react.

With a good-natured laugh Jenny watched as Alana raced back to Gibbs and took his hand in her un-casted one.

As soon as they had left, Jenny checked over her desk to make sure that everything was in place and slipped out of the office. She nodded to Cynthia, and made her way down to Abby's lab.

Abby was flitting around the lab when Jenny got there, but the older woman could tell that she wasn't really doing anything. Crossing her arms, Jenny leaned against the doorjamb, watching Abby and waiting to be noticed. When several minutes passed without Abby's notice, Jenny pushed herself off the door and cleared her throat.

Abby spun around immediately looking flustered. "Director!" she all but shouted, but didn't move from her place.

"Abby," Jenny returned coolly. For a long moment they simply stared at each other, silent. Finally, Jenny couldn't take it anymore, "How are you holding up Abbs?"

"I'm fine, Director," Abby nodded twice at her statement.

Jenny tried not to sigh and took a step closer to the usually exuberant scientist, "Not Director right now Abby. I just want to make sure you're okay."

Abby seemed to deflate a little as soon as Jenny spoke, and a moment later she was in her arms. Jenny could feel Abby shaking and couldn't help but hope that she wasn't crying; the thought of Abby crying was just as unbearable as the thought of Alana crying.

"What if we can't clear Tony?" Abby muttered into Jenny's shoulder, "What if all this evidence is all we can find and Tony still goes to jail for murder. Tony's not a murderer! He can't go to jail!"

Abby's shaky muttering had turned to a quiet wail as she continued speaking, and Jenny rocked her slowly, whispering hushing noises in her ear. Slowly, Abby calmed back down, and Jenny pushed her away just enough to see the younger woman's face. Abby's eyes were full of tears, and she had streaks down her cheeks from her makeup. Jenny watched Abby's lower lip continue to tremble, and wasn't able to hold her away any longer. Pulling Abby back into her embrace, Jenny just let her cry.

"Tony is going to be fine," Jenny told Abby, even as she continued to cry, "You'll find something Abbs, you always do. We all have complete confidence in you. You'll find something."

Abby nodded into her shoulder, though she didn't pull away just yet, and Jenny continued to hold her, knowing that was all she really needed right now.

NCIS

Gibbs made Alana wait just outside while he brought the pizza in to Tony. It gave Gibbs a chance to spend a little one on one time with his senior agent, giving the men a little time to just get it all out.

It wasn't until Tony asked, "I'm not getting out of this, am I boss?" that Gibbs crouched down. Alana shot to her father's side, as that was their pre-arranged signal. Tony made his way to the bars of his cell and crouched before father and daughter, Gibbs turned to Alana and motioned with his hand. Alana understood and reached through to smack Tony upside the head.

Tony chuckled, "You're not supposed to do that Gibblet. Only your dad can."

"Nuh uh!" Alana shook her head furiously, "Daddy tolded me to."

Tony's eyes widened and he turned to Gibbs with a mock wounded look on his face, "Boss!" Gibbs just glared back at his agent and Tony tried not to gulp. "Yes Boss, thank you Boss."

Gibbs gave Tony a half smile and stood. Tony had gotten out his frustrations and been set straight, it was time for them to leave.

NCIS

The next time Gibbs saw Jenny, he was standing by interrogation talking to Ziva about her interview with Lieutenant Kim.

"I saw Lieutenant Kim leave," Jenny stated when they both turned to her, "She have an alibi?"

"No, she framed DiNozzo and we let her go," Gibbs growled.

Shooting Gibbs a glare, Jenny turned to the third member of their little group, "Ziva, Lana was hoping that you would go see her for a little bit. She's down with Ducky."

Understanding the dismissal for what it was Ziva pushed herself from the wall, "Gibbs, Director."

Jenny and Gibbs both watched her walk away until she had turned the corner, then turned back to each other.

"So George Stewart is—"

"He's next on my list," Gibbs interrupted.

"You know, there's no reason to be petulant Jethro," Jenny told her fiancé mildly. She bit her tongue in order to leave it at that statement and not start another argument.

"It's pissed Jen. You know what, you can drop the director act," Gibbs shot back.

Apparently, he had no such qualms about fighting.

Deciding that if he was just going to push for an argument, she was going to oblige him Jenny growled back, "You think my job is an act?"

"No, not all of it," Gibbs straightened a little, raising his voice, "Ass kissing on the hill is a skill!"

"So is castration."

"I wear a cup."

They stared at each other for a moment, glaring. Deciding she'd had enough of the not-so-friendly comebacks, Jenny pulled out the paper she'd been wanting to give Gibbs when she first arrived.

He took it from her, still glaring. Though his expression softened some as he looked over the paper. He had a pretty good idea what she had just given him, but still had to ask, "What is this?"

"George Stewart's alias and work address. I managed to find it between kissing asses and taking care of our daughter." With that, she spun on her heel and walked away.

Gibbs opened his mouth to shout after her, but decided it would be better not to, and shut it once more. She had won this one, and to say any more would just make things worse.

NCIS

It was past midnight when Gibbs reappeared in Jenny's office with the news that Tony had been booked.

Alana was asleep on the couch once more and Jenny was longing to join her. However, with everything that had happened in the last few days, she was horribly behind on paperwork and couldn't put it off any longer. So, Jenny was still sitting at her desk when Gibbs walked in.

His announcement had caused a flurry of activity. They were all burning the midnight oil now, caffeine forgotten and no longer needed in the sudden anxious energy flowing through each of them at just how real the threat to their little family had become.

Fifteen hours later, their work paid off. They had found their Jane Doe, and George Stewart: proving Tony's innocence and arresting their culprit all at once.

Now, Alana sat on Tony's lap as he regaled her with his stories of the horrors of prison. McGee, Ziva, and Ducky all stood around them wearing incredulous smiles, but unwilling to interrupt the stories when Alana seemed to be having such a good time.

Tony's head shot up, his story petering to a halt as Gibbs stopped just in front of him. "Didn't doubt you for a second Boss!" Tony scrambled to cover himself in case Gibbs wasn't too happy about the stories he'd been telling Alana. "Well…" Tony's shoulder's shrugged up a little as he thought about his statement, "Maybe one second."

Much to everyone's surprise, Gibbs only offered him the usual half smile, "No, don't thank me. It was all Abby."

"The poor girl hasn't slept since this entire affair began," Ducky informed the others. His eyes followed Gibbs as the other man suddenly moved away from the group. When he realized that Jenny was making her way down the stairs, Gibbs' departure made much more sense.

"Where is she?" Tony asked, referring to Ducky's statement about Abby. He'd been looking forward to seeing the excitable Goth and was rather disappointed that she wasn't here.

"She's probably passed on," Ziva said with a smile and a little laugh.

"The term is passed out," McGee informed her.

"Whatever! The girl is tired."

"I got the court records from Stewarts case against Baltimore."

The entire team turned at the sound of Jenny's voice, just in time to see her hand over a rather large folder to Gibbs.

"You're a little late Jen," Gibbs said as he took it from her. The entire team stared at his tone and words, and Jenny stopped at the bullpen entrance as Gibbs continued towards his desk. Noting that Jenny was no longer beside him, he stopped and turned slowly back around to face her. "Uh… I mean thank you…" he trailed off awkwardly as Jenny continued to appraise him.

Tony's mouth fell open at the sign of uncertainty on his boss' face. He could never remember seeing Gibbs look so nervous.

"Better, Jethro," Jenny nodded, crossing the space between them. Gibbs seemed to sigh in relief and led her to his desk.

There was a moment of silence as the team stared after their bosses. Slowly, they all turned back to look at each other, their thoughts clear on all faces: this would take some adjusting to. But chatter started up again, and they were taken by surprise when Gibbs suddenly dropped the file he was holding and bolted for the stairs.

No one questioned it as they all bolted after him, Tony handing Alana over to Jenny so that he could have access to his weapon. They filed down the stairs and into the lab, guns at the ready, Jenny, Ducky, and Alana at the back.

"Abby!" Gibbs shouted and for a moment everything was silent. They all took in the lab, the things strewn about the floor, and Abby, slumped over in her chair. Dread was just beginning to build when Abby spun her chair around to face them and stood. She pointed over to the corner, and as the team all edged in they could see Chip trussed up in duct tape and struggling on the floor.

Turning to Jenny she almost whined, "Can I work alone now?"

Weapons were lowered as Jenny nodded her head slowly. Abby shot one last, disdainful look at Chip before launching herself at Tony.

"Good! Now we have to plan Thanksgiving, since we missed it."

A/N: I hope is was okay. The next chapter shouldn't take nearly as long. Thanks so much to anyone who is still reading this. And special thanks to ladybugsmomma for her reminders to get my rear in gear and write!