The start of the New Year, started like any other day. All the kids with the exception of Addie and Jake had returned to school after their winter recess ended. And as usual work was the same. Franks, Leyla, Amira and Jackson were still around; which made all of Jen and Jethro’s kids quite happy. Today I had busy day, busier than normal. The day started with Kate, Ziva, Tony, McGee and I squeezing into Observation to watch one most entertaining things ever. A Jen and Jethro interrogation. To the five of us the only thing better than a Jen and Jethro interrogation was a Franks and Jethro interrogation. Besides our current form of entertainment, I had to go over to the set of the CBS’ Early show so they had background on me just like they did with Jen back in 2005 when she succeeded Morrow. Now it was my turn as the day I would succeed Jen was right around the corner. Thankfully the CBS thing wasn’t until midday, so I had time. I was more than grateful to have some time to get my nerves in check for the thing with CBS.
I had spent the past twenty years of my career as field agent who didn’t have to worry about being in the limelight. Who was cautiously protected and sheltered from the scrutiny of the job as well as the politics by her sister’s boyfriend and her sister. In a few days that would all change. But in a few hours the change in administration would begin; at least in the public persona of the agency. It was an understatement to say the nerves were running in overdrive. I knew I that I had to figure out a way to calm down, so I started running through the possible ways to calm down in my mind while we continued to watch the pros before us.
Going down to the shooting range came to mind, but I really didn’t have time to go today. Then the thought of being pampered ran across my mind. The last thought that came to my mind was sneaking away from the office with Nick for an hour or to. Our house was empty until the girls came home from school at 3pm. Of course that left me to figure out how we would sneak out without some eyebrows being raised. So that would leave me to spend time with Nick after everything was done for the day.
Little did any of us know but things were about to get more insane. But that was the least of my concerns at the moment. All I cared about was not making an ass out of myself while I was with the Early Show. The people at the Early Show said to come as myself, but I knew if I gone dressed like myself then I would be in a whole boat load of trouble. Even though I am in my forties, I still had a bit of my twenty-four year old rebellion left in me. I guess it was my way of keeping connected to a simpler time in my life as well as keeping the memories of my parents alive.
Before I knew it the time between watching Jen and Jethro do one last interrogation and the thing with CBS had past. It was time for me to cowboy up and do this interview, no matter how much I detested it. After a tedious drive to the station and I had gone through all the necessary things to have done before the tapes started rolling, I was sitting in a chair on the set.
Of course I was still nervous as hell as I sat in the chair and waited for the person who was interviewing me. Within minutes Barbara Sanchez – Rodriguez sat down in the chair across from me. At this moment I knew it was now or never and it was time for the nerves to dissipate. All I had to do was picture myself being as confident as I was when I was in the field with my sig in my hand.
“Hello Mrs. Balboa. I’m Barbara Sanchez- Rodriguez and I’ll be asking you some questions, a little get to know you; if you will.” Barbara said introducing herself.
“Okay.”
The cameras began to roll, Barbara did her little news broadcaster intro before she and cameras turned their attention to me. I knew that the team and all of the kids would be watching this.
“I am sitting here with one of NCIS’ finest agents, Special Agent Jaylyn Emma Shepard-Balboa. Mrs. Balboa, how long have you been an Agent and what inspired you to join the agency?” Barbara asked.
“Please call me Jaylyn. I joined the agency twenty years ago when I was twenty-four. As far as what inspired me to join the agency, it’s more like who inspired me. So to answer your question; Director Shepard and Special Agent Gibbs were the ones who inspired me to become an Agent.”
“It says here that not only are you an Agent, but your husband is too and you two have three children.”
“Yes, Nick and I are agents; although he’s been at it a lot longer than I have. And yes we do have three children, three daughters to be exact.”
“How long have you and your husband been married?” Barbara asked.
“We’ll be married for eighteen years this May.”
“Back to your children, care to tell us more about them.”
I was a bit hesitant, protective if you will. I didn’t want to divulge too much about JD, Jayden and Jocelyn. I guess it was the whole protective mother bear syndrome all mothers went through at one point or another.
“Nick and I have three daughters. Jennifer Delaney who is a high school senior and then we have our twins Jayden Sophie and Jocelyn Reese who are high school freshmen.”
“Where do you think your eldest will be attending college in the fall?”
“Well I hope she chooses to go to Georgetown like Director Shepard and I did.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, but what do you like to do in your spare time outside of the office?” Barbara asked.
There was a slight pause before I answered the question. Things had changed quite a bit in the past twenty years. I wasn’t the reckless, care-free, sleep with any guy that crossed my path twenty-four year old I once was. I guess getting married at twenty-five and having our daughters at twenty-five and twenty-nine respectively helped me grow up.
“Care to answer the question, Jaylyn?” Barbara asked snapping me back to reality.
“Sorry, I like to spend my spare time outside of the office with my husband and our daughters. Sometimes I like to spend time with my sister; we’ve been close since our mother died.” I answered.
The interview ended shortly after I answered Barbara’s last question. As I drove home my phone buzzed in the cup holder in the middle console. I had linked my cell phone to my car’s hands-free device so with the press of the hands-free button on the steering wheel I answered my phone. Once I was at a stop light I noticed that it was my sister calling me.
“What’s going on Jen? Something wrong with the girls?” I had asked.
Since JD’s birth, almost eighteen years ago; I had morphed into another variation of myself. I liked to think that what the kind of mother that I had morphed into all those years ago was the kind of mother, my own mother would have been like with me and Jen if she was alive today.
“The girls are fine. JD, Hannah and Leah are all watching the younger kids at mine and Jethro’s with Leyla and Amira.”
“Then what’s wrong? Why did you call? I’m on my way home from the CBS Early show thing.”
“I called because we’re all at Bethesda. AJ was brought in cause she thought she was in labor and Kelly is in labor as we speak. I need you to pick up Jason’s parents from the airport and bring them here.”
“Okay, I’m on it. And Jen.”
“Yes, Jay.”
“Don’t worry, Kelly will be fine. She has Jethro’s tenacity.”
“See you in a bit.” Jen said.
A little while later I was walking through the labor and delivery floor of Bethesda with Jason’s parents in tow. I knew that since Ziva, Kate, Abby and I were able to get through the deliveries of our respective children that Kelly would be more than able to as well.
Once we had found the others and some time had passed while we waited, things got a bit interesting.
“So you’re Kelly’s parents.” Mrs. Beckett said to my sister and Jethro.
Ziva, Kate, Abby and I looked at each knowing full well that this subject was never one that was discussed. McGee, Palmer, AJ, Ducky and Jordan had the same look on their faces as we did. Tony on the other hand was trying his hardest to hold back a laugh and muttered something to McGee.
“Isn’t it obvious, Probie; that Kelly isn’t the Director’s daughter? They look nothing alike, if anything Kelly looks more like the boss.”
Ziva had heard what Tony muttered and elbowed him.
Now we all stood there waiting to see how Jen and Jethro would respond to the inquiry.
“Kelly isn’t my daughter, I am merely just her father’s girlfriend.” Jen answered.
“Kelly’s mother died in a car crash in the early nineties when she was eight years old while I was overseas with the Corps during Desert Storm.” Jethro said.
There was an awkward silence now; those of us within the NCIS collective knew how much it bothered Jethro when the subject of Shannon’s demise was brought up. During the silence the waiting continued and I couldn’t help but think that the last inquiry wasn’t the last that my sister and Jethro would have to answer while Jason’s parents were around.
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