A surprise from Paris

Flashback: the beginning of the mission

“You need to leave as soon as you can. In the meantime, a few NCIS agents will update you with a few video calls on the specifics of the mission and will tell you how to contact the German when you get there.” 

“Wait. I… Sir, when you called saying it was an emergency, I was…” 

“You were on leave, after Russia, I know. I also know your boyfriend was on the verge of proposing to you. Believe me, I saved you some marriage counselling for the future. He's cheating on you.” 

She looked confused and hurt at that. She turned around and started for the door. 

“Where are you going? You know how the agency works; you can’t really say no to a mission.” 

“I’m going to deal with my boyfriend. I’ll be back in an hour.” 

She could feel him smirking and nodding his approval at the last. She was pretty sure he couldn’t care less about her personal life. 

She walked out of the SIS Building and headed for the tube station. The ride to her apartment would have taken only 20 minutes. Normally, she ran that distance back and forth to work, but today she had a cute vintage dress and high heels, since she was supposed to be at her engagement party, so running was not really an option. Not that she couldn’t run wearing high heels. The agency required as much from an agent like her. It would have looked suspicious to the people though, and she would have arrived home with the dress and the shoes ruined. And she really liked both. So, tube it was.  

On the way there, she examined why John might have been lying to her. He might have wanted to push her enough for the mission. Or he might have been against actual commitment given the nature of their jobs. She knew he had been married in the past and it hadn’t ended well. On the other end, what if John was not lying? Why would he know? And could she not? Well, the answer to the last one was easy enough. She was always abroad, working. Daniel had all the time in the world to cheat on her and not have her finding out. He also had the motive right there. What kind of girlfriend had she been? But then, if this were true, why would he propose to her? Wouldn't it have been easier just to break up with her?  

She got off the train absentmindedly and walked home. Their friends had left, of course. She heard no noise coming from inside when she climbed the flair of stairs leading to her doorway. Well, almost no noise.  

There was a soft thud coming, and some whispering, and whimpering, and sighing. Instantly, it hit her. She knew exactly what was going on in there, and who she was. Chelsea. Daniel’s ex. Jael was not really a jealous kind of girl, so when Daniel had told her that Chelsea, his high school girlfriend, wanted to be friends with both of them, she didn’t say no. Jael didn’t have many girlfriends outside the agency. It was good to have someone normal around. Chelsea was a little overwhelming, maybe even a little too touchy with Daniel, but Jael always thought that relationships were built on trust. Daniel never complained about her guys, her gang, so she couldn’t complain about Chelsea.  

But her guts had been right all along. They were sleeping together. Probably Daniel had been faithful at the beginning. But then, aided by the fact that Jael spent a lot of extra hours at work, he had become unsatisfied. He probably looked for more.  

She also knew that he had… peculiar taste. She wasn’t a nun, but Jael had enough of some things in her job for not wanting them all in bed. She liked a little foreplay, some role-play even, but Daniel really lost it the first time she allowed him to show her what he liked. Gender confusion, canes, whips, chains… it really was too much for her.  

He had been so gracious about her opinion, though. He had caressed her gently, and told her that he loved her, that all of that didn’t matter, and was in the past. He had told her that he just wanted to be together. Jael remembered how bad she had felt, knowing she was lying to him. She couldn’t tell him her real name, her real job, where she really went all the times that she had to leave for work. Still, he loved her, and never asked too much.  

Now, Jael knew why. He didn’t have to. He had what he wanted. He had Chelsea. She felt a lump forming in her throat, and silently fell on her knees in front of the door, sobbing. She did love him. She did long to see him after work. But deep down, while crying her eyes out, she realized that he probably wasn’t the one. She didn’t feel as supposed to when you meet the love of your life.  

That thought gave her the strength to get up. That, and knowing that she had faced assassins, terrorists, and mercenaries. She could handle a cheater and his… mistress.  

She put the key in the lock, and turned it as quietly as possible. She wanted to catch them on the act. The door opened with a soft whoosh, and she glided inside. This was her apartment, not his. That was the utmost disrespect.  

“At least take her to your place, you jerk” she murmured on the doorstep of the guests' room, looking at the bed and seeing it empty. She hated him ever more, considering they had to be on her bed. When she got there and peered inside, what she saw looked like it came out of an e*****a book. She averted the gaze, disgusted and frustrated. She had said it with almost no voice, but he heard her. 

“Jael? You're home already…”  

He quickly stopped whatever he was doing, leaving Chelsea whimpering both in pain and in pleasure, since he clearly had stopped mid-act. Daniel threw on a rope, and walked over Jael to trying and salvage the situation. Jael took a step back and raised a hand, to stop him. She was careful not to touch his skin, only the fabric.  

“Don’t you dare touch me, Daniel. I want you out of here, for good. I have to go back to work, but I’ll be back for dinnertime. Your stuff must be out of my apartment. If you want to keep banging your ex, you can do that in your bed, not in mine.” 

“But, Jael… I…” 

“Daniel, do yourself a favour and shut up. Oh, and untie her or she’ll get a cold or something. Chelsea?” she raised her voice calling her. 

The girl looked embarrassed, but her pink cheeks were not all red for shame. She was still aroused. 

“I thought you were a friend. Of course, I was wrong.” 

Jael turned on her heels, walked over to her closet, and grabbed a pair of sneakers that matched the dress, and then a pair of jeans and a shirt, stuffed everything in a small strap-bag, and headed for the door. Daniel followed her around, blabbing that he was sorry and that it wasn’t as it seemed. When he arrived in the kitchen, where she was changing her shoes, he stepped closer to her. 

“Jael, please. Listen to me. I love you.” 

Faster than he could think, he felt a slap landing on his left cheek.  

“Don’t. You. Dare. Daniel. Go to your mistress and do whatever sick thing you like. But don’t you dare tell me you love me. Because you don’t.” 

His eyes turned cold, his expression emotionless. 

“How did you find out?” 

“My boss told me. You know he randomly checks on us. He must have found out something while looking at my apartment.” 

He nodded, his gaze to the floor. 

“I will be gone when you’re back.” 

“Good. Farewell, Daniel.” 

After that, Jael had run all the way down to work, dress and sneakers on, to cool off. In the evening, she would have needed a heavy workout to properly get it out of her system.  

While at work, a conference call with NCIS headquarters and their office in LA introduced her to a few agents there. 

She only asked one question throughout all the explanation they gave her of what she had to do in Paris and who she had to become. 

“Why you?” 

“Us? What do you mean?” one American replied. 

“Why am I not talking with a CIA agent, or an ATF or DEA one? Why does the Naval Criminal Investigation Service have anything to do with this?” 

“Because” the woman said, “the threat is to attack the Pentagon and the White House as firsts.” 

Jael nodded, understanding. 

“And” the other guy added, pointing back to the woman “she has a history with the German agent you have to meet. I know him too, but if she helps you to… well, impress him, your work there will be easier.” 

“That works for me.” 

“Also, the agent isn’t really German. He's playing them, to understand why they were rummaging in these matters. He's an American agent.” 

Jael nodded again, taking notes in her mind. 

“It’s late in London, let’s call it a night. We will call you again tomorrow and finish up with the details. After that, you have about one week to prepare, both for personal matters and to get into your part. You need to be in Paris in no more than 10 days” the guy said. 

“Alright. See you tomorrow then.”