[rp for albuquerque_liz]

[on_jennys_terms]

After an incredibly long day, Jen is beyond exhausted.  But she's still not asleep.  Food comes first, of course.  She managed to eat very little today and now she's starving.  Or she was, anyway.  She opted not to go out for dinner with Jethro after her last meeting and now she's parked on the bed in the hotel room with a plate of pancakes.  He's

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[albuquerque_liz]

Liz is sprawled on her bed, watching the night emerge through the open doors to her bedroom. She's not feeling all that well and is actually glad for the peace of the night. The phone call, expected, makes her stomach flutter a bit. She knows that as Jenny gets busier, these will happen less and less. So she reaches for the phone and answers it, peace settling into her voice. It's one thing that went right today. "Hey you."

[on_jennys_terms]

"Hi," she responds warmly. She pops the bite of pancakes into her mouth before pushing the tray aside. It's a suite style room, complete with microwave, so she can heat them up when they're done on the phone. Jen leans back against the headboard and unfolds her legs. As she studies her swollen ankles, she realizes she should have stacked pillows under them earlier because now she can't reach. "How was your day?" she asks.

[albuquerque_liz]

Liz smiles into the phone and tucks herself more into her pillows. "It was okay. Meeting with my therapist to adjust my meds. Got lectured. The kids cheered me up. Adam called and let's say that now, I just want to stay in bed for a while." She rubs her neck. "Nothing big. What about you, Director?" She emphasizes the last word with a bit of flirty flair.

[on_jennys_terms]

Jen frowns as she listens to Liz recount her day, but she knows Liz will talk when she's ready to and there's very little point in pressing her for details now. She lets the conversation move on and a smug smirk crosses her lips. "I few people are mad at me, a few were still in shock when I left tonight, and the rest were practically giddy. It was a long day, but I remember who I am now."

[albuquerque_liz]

Liz smiles softly. "Good for you. I am betting your replacement wasn't exactly happy to see you walk through the door."

[on_jennys_terms]

"Ah. No. He was not," Jen chuckles, "but then, I really don't care." She brushes her hand over her belly in circles. "But you know," she adds, "he of all people should have been wary in the first place."

[albuquerque_liz]

A light giggle escapes Liz. "I've known you nine months and I know how sneaky you are," she teases. "He should have been waiting for it." She stretches a bit and then curls back into her blankets. It's getting just a bit chilly, but she's not getting up to close the doors. "So the ball is in motion, hmm."

[on_jennys_terms]

"Sneaky or resilient," she smirks, "But yes, the ball is rolling. I have a few more meetings tomorrow morning, but after those, I think I'm free. I don't think it'll take too long to get things worked out, but if I'm needed between now and when it's all official, I plan to telecommute." She tucks the phone against her shoulder and puts the room service tray on the counter in the kitchenette before wandering over to the large window. Their room overlooks the street and Jen can just make out a dark, unmarked car below, parked in the shadows. "They've already got a detail on me and my first instinct is to get rid of them."

[albuquerque_liz]

Liz cracks up. "Do you really think Jethro would let you?"

[on_jennys_terms]

She turns over her shoulder, looking at him, and grins. "That's another big, fat no."

[albuquerque_liz]

Liz giggles. "Good. You sound good, you know. I'd say I don't even recognize you, but I knew this part of you was buried underneath what you were carrying around."

[on_jennys_terms]

Turning back to the window, Jen draws in a deep breath. She should go back to bed, but she feels like she spent the whole day sitting. "I wish I could say I knew, too, but I didn't. I felt like..." another look over her shoulder at Gibbs, "I was crawling around in the darkness." Liz should know the reference. But she draws in another breath, letting those feelings out with it, "But I feel good."

[albuquerque_liz]

Liz tucks a lock of hair behind her ear and nods. "I understand," she says. They can talk about how good Jenny feels until they're blue in the face, the truth is, Jenny feels good. And that's what matters. "I'm glad you got out of the darkness before it sucked you in." The light from her room is attracting moths and lizards so she gets up and closes the screen. "It's a scary place to be." The house is silent and she makes her way out to the kitchen and stands there, wondering what she can eat. But she isn't hungry. So she gets a sprite from the fridge. "How'd they all react to the baby?"

[on_jennys_terms]

Jen just nods in silent agreement with Liz. She's not particularly interested in revisiting that darkness tonight. After pulling the drapes closed, she wanders back towards bed, wondering if she should stick her pancakes in the microwave now or wait a bit. "I think she shocked people more than my being alive did."

[albuquerque_liz]

Liz laughs and makes her way back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her, just in case John is wandering around. "Oh I am sure. They don't know you like I do." She grins and plops back down onto her bed, resting her back against the headboard.

[on_jennys_terms]

"There are exactly two people who can make that claim, you being one of them," she teases, deciding to go for the pancakes. As she presses the buttons on the microwave, she realizes she's doing a lot of aimless wandering around the room and it makes more sense to her, chalking it up to nesting.