Apologies, basements and boats
Jen Shepard was sat in the office of her Georgetown house. The last few days had been even more stressful than usual after a dead lieutenant and his whole family had been murdered. Jethro had been affected by the case, as it had reopened old wounds, and he had therefore been working his team even harder than usual. But they had caught the culprit and Jethro had broken him as always, Jen had even been there to watch.
Yet Jethro was not the only one who had been affected by the case, she was usually able to control her emotions where cases where concerned, but this one, this one had affected her. She didn't know how or why, but it had made her think about her life. 'What have I got to show for myself, I'm director of a federal agency, but that's it, no husband, no kids, no family left. Just a job and a person who I can't even apologise to for something I did years ago.' Tears where forming in her eyes, but she was a strong person and she fought against the tears, yet not against the urge to go to his house, and before she realised what she was doing, coat and shoes where on and she was driving to his house. 'It isn't like he won't be awake' as she pulled up outside his house she wondered what the heck she was doing, then the realised, she was going as a friend, to see a friend, nothing more.
She walked down the steps she hadn't walked down in years, he stood there working on his boat, sanding down the wood in his N.I.S. t-shirt that he always wore. "Jen, what you doing here?" he said looking at her, she was dressed in casual, jeans that fitted perfectly, a white scoop neck t-shirt and white leisure shoes, he had to seriously fight the urge to walk up and kiss her.
"I came to see you, I was bored of sitting alone in my office drinking bourbon."
"How'd you know I'd be awake?"
"Jethro I know you better than you know yourself."
He smiled, "So you here as director?"
"No, as a friend." She looked at the structure of the boat he was working on. "What number boat are you on now?"
"Four, you still remember how to sand?"
"Yes I do Jethro." She said taking a sander, he stood behind her and placed his hands on top of hers as to guide her, bith desperately trying to resist the urge to kiss the other, not realising the other was also doing the same. "Jethro do you ever wonder what we'd be like know if I hadn't left?"
"Sometimes Jen, why?"
"Jethro, before you say anything I know how you feel about apologies, but I'm sorry for leaving you in Paris with just that ridiculous 'dear John' letter, it was stupid and I have regretted it every day since I did it." She said, turning round his blue eyes looked in to her blue ones.
"Jen, I forgave you for Paris a long time ago. You could have come back to me."
"I didn't deserve you, I left you and in doing so I hurt you, I couldn't forgive myself for that, let alone ask you to forgive me." A tear managed to roll down her cheek as she looked down. With his thumb he wiped away the tear, and as he did, a wave of bravery passed over him, he took a strand of her read hair and placed it behind her ear, before kissing her.
"Jen, I would have forgiven you in a heartbeat, I loved you, and I never ever stopped doing so." He said looking deep into her eyes.
"I have always loved you too Jethro." She said kissing him again, his arms went around her waist and hers went around his neck.
Now what did she have to show for herself? She was director of a federal agency, but most of all she was with the person she loved, the person she had always loved.