The case that haunts her

A\N: This is a back-in-the-day JIBBS story where a case haunts Jenny. 

Team Leader of NCIS's MCRT, Leroy Jethro Gibbs walks out of the Directors office, his usual coffee in hand, a stern look on his face. He's not going to enjoy this conversation he has to have with his team, especially not with his youngest agent who has taken their latest case to heart: their case involves mothers and children of deployed Marines all killed in different ways, the children in their mothers bed, curled up against them, and if it weren't for the blood all over them, you'd think they were only sleeping.

He leans against the catwalk railing and stares at his team in the bullpen.

Decker is on the phone, talking to someone.

Burley is sitting at his desk, drinking coffee and throwing paper balls up and down in his hands.

And then there's his youngest agent, the one he's most worried about. Shepard's desk is covered with case files, notes, crime scene photos, evidence, everything about their victims, their families. She's the one he's worried about having this conversation with after she's invested so much of her time and tears into this case. He wanted to pull her off this case from day one but she'd protested. 

Gibbs and his team walk into the crime scene, his blue eyes sweeping quickly over the heinous crime in front of him before he looks at his agents.

Decker is looking anywhere but the two victims.

Burley is busying himself with the gear.

Shepard, his youngest agent, is looking directly at the victims with tears streaming down her face, not seeming bothered that her mascara is running down her face along with her tears.

"Shepard, come with me." The team Leader says, walking out of the house, his distraught agent behind him. He stops and turns to his redhead agent and stares at her, his blue eyes kind and soft.

"Shepard, I can take you off this case if it'll be too hard for you." He tells her. The crying redhead scoffs before wiping her face, getting rid of any tears and mascara.

"No way am I letting you bench me because I shed a few tears." She says sternly before turning on her heel and walking back into the house, leaving a very worried boss in her wake.

The Team Leader comes out of the past when he hears Shepard shouting into her desk phone.

"This is a Federal investigation and if you waste my time, I can promise you that I will be there slapping cuffs on your wrists for wasting my time!" The redhead shouts into the phone. Gibbs sighs as he walks into the bullpen. He stands in the middle of the bullpen.

"Hang up, Shepard." He says, looking at her, Shepard frowns and covers the receiver of the phone.

"I just need another two minutes with this unhelpful bitch and I'll have a lead on our case." She argues, Gibbs shakes his head.

"Hang up. Now." He says firmly, ignoring the fact that he'll have a very annoyed agent for the rest of the week. He looks at the guys and sighs, taking a sip of his coffee.

He's really not looking forward to this conversation.

"Because we don't have any evidence, the Director has ordered us to class this as a cold case." He says, purposely not looking at the only female agent on his team.

"WHAT?!" Shepard yells as she gets to her feet. "He can't do that!" Shepard shouts. Gibbs gives her a stern look.

"He can and he did, Shepard, now tidy up your desk and walk away from the case." Shepard scoffs and shakes her head defiantly at him.