Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS. I'm just an obsessed(not the stalkerish way) fan of it
Jenny cuddled further into the sheets. It was just a nice relaxing Saturday full of no worries, no SecNav, and no work. Every pore in her body felt so numb but in a good way. She could lay here for hours. Feeling her eyes get heavy though it was nearly 11am. she fell back asleep. Jenny woke up to the *ding* of her doorbell. She groaned and got up reluctantly. Jenny walked down the stairs and pulled her hair up in a messy ponytail. Opening the door she grew confused, "hello?"
"Are you Jennifer Shepard?" a tall man dressed in a gray suit, briefcase at his side, with a gruff voice asked.
"Yes?" Jenny finally noticed that a woman with long light brown curly hair and a flower patterned skirt with a brown jacket and white blouse had a baby carrier secured on her elbow and was walking up the walkway.
"Is your sister Heather Jacobson nee Shepard?"
"Yeah. Has something happened to her?"
"I'm sorry to tell you that she has died, during childbirth. Her husband as you probably know had died overseas. In her will she had you as her unborn daughter's guardian. The baby survived the birth but Heather died after two hours of slipping into a coma after she gave birth."
"What's the baby's name?"
"Nadia Jennifer Jacobson," Jenny looked away then back the woman was now standing next to the man.
"Hello I'm Patricia Hemsworth. I'm very sorry for your loss. May we come inside?"
Jenny solemnly nodded still trying to process her sister's death. She led them into her living room and Patricia placed the baby carrier next to Jenny once she sat down on the couch. A sleeping infant cocooned in a purple blanket with a lavender hat on her head resided in the carrier. Jenny's heart swelled, "so let me guess. You're a lawyer?" she asked the silent man next to Patricia.
"Yes, I'm Harold Carpenter. I just need you to sign custody papers."
Jenny took a deep breath, "do I have a choice weather or not to raise her and sign these papers?"
"Of course. Things may seem a bit more complicated if you choose to do so but yes you have a choice," Harold answered.
Jenny nodded, "I'll sign them. Do you have them with you?"
Harold nodded and pulled a folder from his briefcase with a pen and handed both to Jenny.
Fifteen minutes later Harold and Patricia were gone but Patricia had told her she'd be back to check on how Jenny was doing with Nadia. The little girl was still sleeping in the carrier and then it finally hit Jenny. She had to raise this child now. It was her responsibility. She got nervous and picked up the phone. Her first thought was to call Ducky but she dialed another but oh-so-familiar number.
"Jen?" his voice sounded hoarse.
"Jethro, I... I need you to come over," she didn't expect her voice to betray her and sound so vunerable but it happened.
"What's wrong," he brain came to attention and he started grabbing his keys and slipped his shoes on.
"Just come over. I'll explain then," she said and with that, hung up.
Ten minutes later Jenny heard a knock at her door she had her arms folded over one another and she opened the door, Gibbs rushed in, "what's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing's wrong persay. I'm just sort of scared."
"Why?" he asked confused. Jenny took him by his arm leading him into the living room and he saw the little baby in the carrier.
"Is that yours?!" he asked shocked.
"Now. She's my niece. My sister Heather died giving birth to her. I'm raising her now. I signed the papers about an hour ago."
"You're just gonna raise her by yourself?"
"Yeah. I think I can do it. I mean I know it'll be hard but not extremely hard."
"Are you sure, Jen?"
"Yes," she bit her lip. Nadia started to whimper, "oh.... what's wrong?" Jenny rushed over to the carrier.
"I think she just needs to be held, Jen."
Jenny nodded and gently picked the small infant up, she cradled her close and after five minutes of fussing the baby calmed down. Jenny sighed with relief looking over to Jethro, "thank you. Ugh Jethro, this is gonna sound strange but could you go out with me and find some of the stuff I need for her?"
A plan formulated in his head, "well, sure. I know what to get. We can go in separate cars though. It might seem odd if anyone we knows sees us coming out of the same car."
She nodded, "I right now need the basics for her. Food, blankets, bottles, and clothes."
"What about a crib."
"I'm sure we can find a bassinet till we have more time."
"We? There's a we?" he asked.
"Ugh... you know what I meant, lets just get going okay?" Jenny gently laid Nadia back into the carrier and the baby stayed quiet. Jenny went and grabbed her purse and then pick up the carrier, "do you know how to put the seat in?"
"Yeah come on," Jenny wouldn't meet Jethro's eyes after her little tongue tied moment.
He put the car seat in and then she got in and drove him en suit with in his car.
Jenny walked down the aisle pushing the cart in Babys R Us and she plopped in about four medium size packages of diapers. Nadia was still in the carrier on her elbow sleeping peacefully. She got her phone out from her pocket and called Gibbs.
"Hello?" he said.
"Jethro where are you?"
"I'm in the store still, Jen. Don't worry. Chill, just get what you need then why don't you let me take all of it back to your house and you can go for a walk with Nadia."
"Jethro, she can't walk."
"You know what I meant, Jen. Get stuff you'll need for a baby bag and then when you're putting the stuff in my car we'll get the bag ready, okay?"
"Fine." She said and hung up.
Gibbs smiled as he shut his phone. He had almost everything, he had paint, furniture ordered and was being delivered to the house later that day, he knew how to set it up, which room it was going in, and now all he needed were some toys, he got a mobile that had three different songs it played.
Going down the toy aisle he picked up things he'd knew Nadia would love and would be easy to play with.
"Jethro what is all this?" Jenny asked as he started to load things in his car.
"Supplies."
She gave him a look saying, 'You know what I mean. I wasn't born yesterday you know.'
"Relax, you'll see. But you'll have to stay at my place for the next day or so."
"What!?!"
"Relax, you and Nadia can stay in my guest room."
Later That Night: Gibbs Residence
"I still can't believed you talked me into this," Jenny said. She was sitting on Gibbs's couch feeding Nadia a bottle.
"She'll love it here. You used to," he smirked playfully.
"If I wasn't holding a baby, I'd smack you," she retorted, smile playing on her lips.
He gave her a sincere look, "you're really good with her."
"Thank you," she whispered her gaze on Nadia.
"Aren't you hungry?" they had ordered chicken from KFC.
"Yeah, a little but I'm going to finish feeding her then burp her so she can sleep, Jethro," she shot a quick glare. Jenny finished and burped Nadia, she was really nervous about her first night with a baby.
Three hours later Jenny came out of the guest room, Nadia was asleep peacefully, which in a way, scared the living daylights out of Jenny. When she turned around from shutting the door she found Jethro.
"Jethro, don't do that. Ugh, is it normal for her to sleep like that?"
"There are a small percentage of babies that it's more normal for them to sleep through the night from birth and on."
"I guess this should be a good thing. Jethro, you know I can't stand admitting stuff like this but I'm really scared I won't be a good mother."
He looked at her, "you'll be a great mom, Jen. She'll love you to death."
"I hope..."
"I'm always here if you need parenting help. I've done this before remember," he said playfully.
"Thank you, she'll need a father figure and I hope she thinks of you as that not DiNozzo."
"Hopefully," he smirked and brushed some hair out of her eyes.
"You really are gonna let her?"
"It's her decision, Jen."
"Well yeah but..." she cut herself off, "I wish she had a dad not just a father figure."
"That an offer, Jen?" he mocked his own words from a few years back.
She was about to repeat what her words were back then but changed them, "yes," she said sheepishly.
He was about to start laughing but then registered what she said. "What?"
"It's an offer if you want it to be, Jethro. Though we'd have to explain to her why we live in two different houses and aren't together."
"Who says we will be," he gave her a stern look but with a hint of softness in them.
"Well.... it makes sense, Jethro. We live in two different houses and aren't together. And from what I've done to you, that won't change," her voice faded as she spoke.
"I may not believe in people say they're sorry, Jen, but I do forgive people. I forgave you the day you walked back into my life. When I saw your beautiful face again," he lifted her chin up to meet his eyes but she turned away.
"I'm not beautiful."
"Did you hit your head over these past nine years, Jen? Cause if you suddenly think you're not beautiful something is wrong."
"Nothing is wrong. I just realized why you quoted John Wayne instead of saying 'I Love You' back to me. To you our relationship was friends... well partners with benefits. You never thought I was beautiful. I was just some sort of stress reliever."
"Have you gone mad!?! Jen you weren't a stress reliever. I just didn't want to admit to myself to that I was really in love with you. I knew I was but I didn't want to in fear of either of us getting hurt."
"You don't mean that," her walls were building back up.
"I do."
"Really?" her walls went back down, thankfully.
"Really," he reassured and lent down brushing his lips across hers.
"I love you," she whispered after the kiss ended.
"Love you too, come on, you look exhausted, you need sleep."
"Sleep isn't what I have in mind, Jethro," she smirked and he let out a soft laugh then led them to his room.
The Next Morning
Jenny woke up with only a sheet covering her, she looked over to who she would've expected to be next to her but only found a note.
Dear Jenny,
I love you, just in case you didn't already know. I left early to go work on a surprise I have planned for you and Nadia. I'm not on call this weekend so there won't be any case interrupting me. Stay at the house all day with Nadia and bond with her. She's your daughter now. I won't be back till late but I'll call periodically to check up on you and Nadia. Call if you need anything.
Love,
Jethro
Jenny smiled and traced the words 'I love you' on the note. She stood, wrapping the sheet around her and padded over to the makeshift nursery they had in the guest room across the hall. Nadia was sleeping still but started to whimper. She stuck her little fists into the air. "Come here baby girl, Mommy's got you," Jenny picked the girl up. Nadia, still whimpering, rested her head on Jenny's shoulder. After a minute or two the baby fell back asleep. Jenny smiled and felt the girls diaper she needed to be changed. Jenny got out a changing mat while still holding Nadia then laid the girl onto it she smiled and got the diaper and baby wipes after securing the sheet around her.
Later That Day
Jenny was holding Nadia feeding her when the phone rang. She stopped for a moment, getting a whimper out of Nadia then answered it, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder, "Hello?" she resumed feeding Nadia after answering.
"Hey, Jenny, how you and Nadia doing?"
"Great. I'm missing you and I think Nadia is too," she giggled.
He laughed as well, "I'm done with the surprise but you have to wait till tomorrow to see it."
"Why," she pouted.
"Jen, one: I know you're pouting and two: because the paint has to dry," she was now baffled as to what he did.
"Hurry then before I whip your butt when you do."
He let out another laugh, "alright, see you soon, Jenny," he smiled.
"Bye, Jethro," she hung up since by the time she had, Jenny was done feeding Nadia. Jenny quickly put down the phone and began burping the baby.
"Jen, I'm back," Gibbs said a half and hour later. He didn't hear an answer and walked over into the living room. He smiled, Jenny was laying down asleep on the couch with Nadia on top of her sleeping soundly head turned and thumb in mouth. He placed a kiss to both of their heads but was careful of Nadia's soft spot then went to go heat himself up some leftover chicken from the night prior.
"Jethro..." Jenny warned as he walked her through her house and up her stairs the next day. He held Nadia.
"Relax, Jen you'll love this," she was blindfolded.
"Grr...." she said.
He laughed, "chill, we're here," he opened the door and revealed the nursery. Light purple walls and pink and purple colors adorned furniture and and blankets and such. He undid the blindfold and heard her gasp moments later.
"Jethro, it's beautiful." Jenny turned in a circle, observing the room.
"I take it you like it?"
"Like it? Jethro, I love it," she kissed him softly.
"Love you," he said.
"Love you too, and I love you, Nadia. How do you like your new room?"
The baby cooed, Jenny and Jethro laughed.
"I think she likes it." Jenny said.
"I think she likes it too," he replied.
Epilogue
"Come on!" Five year old Nadia Gibbs yelled to her younger siblings.
"Be careful!" Jenny Gibbs yelled to her children as they went out to play in the backyard.
"Jen, for the fifteenth time. It's the backyard. They'll be fine," Jethro Gibbs came up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her swollen stomach.
"Fine," she pouted a little and rested her head back on his shoulder, placing her hands over his.
"Think the gang will be okay with another female entering the house of Gibbs?"
"Probably, will you?"
"Well the score of boys vs. girls in this house won't be even anymore but yeah I'm excited. And you know how much I love seeing you with a pregnant stomach."
"Jethro, I look like a bloated whale."
"But you're my beautiful bloated whale," he nuzzled his face in her neck.
"You make me a happy woman you know?"
"Yup, you make me a happy man," he placed a kiss to her neck. She turned in his arms and cuddled into his side as she watched her two daughters, Nadia and Claire and her two sons, Jack and Jasper, play in the backyard from the deck in their backyard. She thought for a while that this could never have been her life but, it was and she loved it.
THE END
So did you all love it? Hate it? Come on I want ur honest opinion. The more you review is the faster my other stories will update that you all love so much. Anyways pwease pretty please review. Thanks!
Marisa