"Is that an offer, Jen?" Jethro questioned, meeting her eyes with his own shockingly blue ones that at the moment were full of a fiery intensity. She smiled softly and looked away, managing to appear graceful while her thoughts swirled through her head. She had never meant to take the conversation so far, and she should have known better than to go there with him. Every once in a while she forgot herself and crossed the line back into his person life – a place, it seemed, that was now foreign to her.
"You know it can't be," she whispered, and then visibly cringed as she heard the soft sound of her own regret echoing through that statement. She hated herself for the thoughts she was having – how nice it would be to leave this complicated life behind her, wrap herself up in his arms, and go home with him forever. Oh, it would get boring in a hurry, but right now it seemed like a great idea to just fall into him and let him catch her. For a while be Jethro and Jenny again, before life got in the way and got complicated, and ruined everything. Her eyes met his again, and for a moment she had recognized his unguarded emotions before he had quickly masked them again.
"Why not?" he asked, softly. Her eyes widened in surprise. This conversation had gone far beyond the limits of their usual banter. It was as if he was making a genuine effort to bring her back into his life.
"I think you know why, Jethro," she whispered again. "There is no "us"; there certainly couldn't be a child involved. We would all end up getting hurt."
It was his turn to look surprised. If there was one thing that Jenny Shepherd never admitted, it was her own vulnerability. And while he loved the strong woman in her, unguarded moments like this were the moments that he lived for.
Jenny sighed and rubbed her hands over her face, which Jethro found adorable.
"I'm sorry Jethro, I'm tired," she muttered. "We should never have had this conversation."
"I think we should have," he challenged, meeting her eyes. "I think we should have had it about ten years ago, when there was an 'us'."
"Perhaps we should have. And maybe it would have worked out. But that was then, and circumstances are very different now. So I suggest you go back to what you do best and pretend that we never had this conversation," Jenny hissed, a little too harshly. She was back in her command mode, and the moment was gone. She spun on her heels and marched back into her office without a backward glance, leaving Jethro leaning on the rail overlooking the bullpen. He shook his head, and an easy smile spread across his lips. He loved that redheaded temper.