Something up his sleeve ..

[dc_knight]

Six hours of hell and a commute that pushed his last button later, he made his way through the door, toed off his shoes, and took a deep breath. The air smelled of pizza, the TV was on in the living room, and he heard the boys laughing at something. Heather emerged from the kitchen and grinned and he swore she already looked better

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[dc_knight]

He sighs and rubs his eyes, more tired than he wants to admit. Three hours at the ER, standing watch all night, the morning fallout, six hours of training, Vance, and California traffic have all conspired to make him tired and testy and he just isn't sure how to proceed. But she's right. It's his job to present options, so he takes another breath. "If it was any other team at all, I'd pull back into observation and send them in. But these idiots Vance has put into place here couldn't act their way out of a wet paper bag."

He pulls three files out of his bag. "There's some decent agents working lesser teams and they're first on my list to replace these guys, but I need to know how much of a suspicious shakeup you think it's going to cause with the guy who is gunning to have you resign. Either way, if this ends badly, he makes a stink."

Absently, he flips absently through files he's already memorized. "Option three is a little more dangerous." He glances at the door, hearing laughter from downstairs. In doing this, he puts himself in harms way right when he doesn't want to do it. It's the nature of the job, but the job isn't more important than what he's got. "I go in, myself. Convince them I'm working both sides."

[on_jennys_terms]

"How well did this guy know you and how well do you think he'll remember you? Because if you can't convince him, there is no point in even thinking about letting you go in yourself." Even if that is the option she's leaning towards. It's the one that makes the least amount of ripples with Vance.

[dc_knight]

Gibbs sighs and rubs his eyes again, thinking back to those painful days during Desert Storm. "Enough to know me, I can tell you that much. I don't know how much he'd remember. We weren't tight buddies."

[on_jennys_terms]

"If you weren't tight, it's unlikely he'll remember much. I want you to go in. Sending your current team in will get them all killed and calling up a new team will get Vance on your back. However, I can minimize some of the threat." As much as she hates him, she really doesn't want him killed, at least not by anyone who isn't her.

[dc_knight]

"Okay. I'll restructure the plans to go in and work up an appropriate history to show I've been playing both sides." His gut is churning but he's a good Marine. He can spend the night looking into ways to keep Heather and the boys safe but if he doesn't bring the case home with him they should be fine.

[on_jennys_terms]

She's quiet for a moment, thinking through the situation. "I can get you backup who won't be associated with your team and who will look like just another part of the group you're infiltrating. But Jethro, it won't be much. He will be playing against you." One other agent isn't even close to enough. She refuses to let him go in completely alone.

[dc_knight]

While she's talking he hears movement at the door and James peeks around. He can't keep the smile off his face even while he raises a finger to his lips to keep his son quiet. "That's fair," he says in response to her. "I know the playbooks, Jen." He knows exactly what she isn't saying; he will pretty much be on his own with this. "Will I have a heads up on who or will the cover be too deep?" James is standing in the doorway now, clutching his rabbit, and he motions him over but again gestures for him to keep quiet. He needs to focus.

[on_jennys_terms]

She shakes her head even if he can't see it. "No. It'll be too deep. He'll come to you if absolutely necessary and not a moment before." She sighs softly. How did it get to this point?

[dc_knight]

"My team is there to make noise, to let them know they're being watched. If they're good at anything, it's distraction." He sighs a bit. This was not supposed to play out like this. "Vance is better than we've given him credit for, Jen." The statement is his way of acknowledging what she's said about his backup.

[on_jennys_terms]

"I know, Jethro." But behind her words is an unspoken 'be careful'.

[dc_knight]

James has come all the way up to his knee now, still unsure about everything, Jethro knows. But he holds out his arms and Jethro easily picks him up and puts him on his knee. He knows what she's saying and he plans to be. "I'll call you with an update on the one thing tomorrow and on this case at the end of the week. We won't go in til next week at the earliest. There's no danger of this cell disappearing any time soon so we don't need to break ourselves by going in overnight."

[on_jennys_terms]

She can hear him moving around and how his breath changes when he hefts James up. Her imagination injects a leggy redhead into the mental image and she shakes her head again which turns to a nod as she checks back into the conversation. "And by then, everything I can do from here will be in place."

[dc_knight]

"Thanks." James is cuddling a bit and he presses his temple down onto the top of his son's head. "You doing okay?" It's his usual question and at least she answers him. It's the connection they still really have, despite everything else that's happened. She promised she'd tell him the truth about her health and she's kept it, even though she has had no real reason to.

[on_jennys_terms]

It takes her a moment to answer as she wonders why the hell she's still keeping that promise. Any reason she had to dissolved that day when she stumbled upon that photograph. A lot dissolved that day. "Not really, but I don't have a choice other than to work through it."

[dc_knight]

"Yeah..." he lets things trail off for a minute but the worry for her is evident in his voice. He still cares and under everything she's dealing with, Heather is fretting. James seems to sense his worry because he holds out his rabbit for Gibbs to take. He just cuddles both his son and the rabbit close while he searches for something to say to her. What he wants to say he's worried will start another fight. "I should let you go," he says softly. "I'll call tomorrow. Same time."

[on_jennys_terms]

Yeah. He has everything he's ever wanted and she's sitting there alone in her office. At least the lights are on. Just the thought makes her want to scream and cry. But instead, she takes a breath and lifts her chin. "Tomorrow, then." There's no trace of hurt in her voice. It's like nothing was said.