Author: MoiraShipper
Summary: AU. Jenny Shepard is the mother of Tony and Abby and moves to Stillwater to be a ballet teacher, looking for a peaceful life. Jethro Gibbs, a former gunnery sergeant and father of Ziva and Tim, returns to his hometown to confront his inner demons and both end up meeting each other.
Jenny Jenny, a new year
It was winter and the roads that led to Stillwater were almost deserted, with the exception of a pickup truck that drove by. A brown-haired man, with military haircut, his brown hair graying, had his hands clenched on the steering wheel, his blue eyes lost in thought. Beside him was an 8 year old girl with brown curly hair, with her arms around her younger brother of straight light brown hair and both were fast asleep, tired from the trip.
The man, Leroy Jethro Gibbs took his Navy hat and put on his son's head, turning his attention to the sign that said they would soon be entering in Stillwater. It was strange to be back there after 5 years away, after his wife had left him and his heart seemed to fail. Would she still be in the city after learning that he had retired? Was she concerned about their children? What would his father say after seeing him back after so long time, without news?
He put a hand to his head, still feeling pain after he'd suffered a serious accident in an operation in Iraq. He tried to divert the flashbacks of that day, not wanting to think he could have left his children orphans. He would now be strong for his children and protect them. He kissed his daughter's forehead, waking her up.
"Ziva, dear? We arrived." He said gently, as he shook Tim slightly.
The brunette yawned, flashing her brown eyes and looking at her father and then to the window, looking at the first houses that showed up.
"Do you remember here?" He asked and the girl shook her head.
"No... But I remember Grandpa's house."
He smiled, brushing a strand of her hair. He knew she wouldn't remember because they'd been too young when they left the town to go to Iraq.
Tim rubbed his eyes and asked with a timid voice, as he straightened himself in the seat next to his sister.
"Dad, we'll stay with Grandpa?"
"Yeah, for a while Tim."
The boy bit his lip and asked timidly, his blue eyes shining:
"But you will stay with us, right?"
Gibbs felt his heart sink hearing the fear and concern of his son and he stopped the car in front of a convenience store and he turned to Tim and Ziva, seriously.
"I promise I will never abandon you two, ok?"
They smiled nodding and Gibbs embraced them, trying to comfort them and feel comforted by the two people who mattered most to him.
It was late afternoon and most residents of Stillwater was leaving work and returning to their homes, avoiding the snow that accumulated on the streets. A woman with long red hair and bright green eyes was carrying a big purse in one hand and with the other, holding the hand of her youngest daughter and wore a beautiful coat and high heel boots.
The six year old girl that was smiling had black hair in pigtails and had her mother's eyes and beside her, was her old brother of eight years old, with brown hair and green eyes and had with him a bag of new DVDs.
Jenny Shepard had finished her classes in the ballet school where she'd been working and was tired but satisfied with her job in the city where she had been living for less than a month. So much had happened in her life, in her last years in Washington and for a moment her new life in that town looked like a fairy tale. She looked at her two children, happy for not having given up giving birth to them.
Now she was trying to rush the children toward their house to escape from the cold and rain that threatened to fall. Damn hour she decided to leave the car at home.
"Abby, come with mommy, we need to hurry."
The little girl beamed as she jumped, stretching her arms as Jenny carried her in her arms and rushed Tony, grabbing him by his hand.
"How much cupcakes did you give to your sister, Tony?" Jenny asked with a sigh, watching her bustling daughter and Tony swallowed.
"She ate three, but because she hid my DVDs."
Abby smiled at him and Tony shook his head at her.
The three were passing in front of a convenience store when a man with brown-gray hair, holding a boy in his arms and had his other hand holding his daughter left the car toward the store and Jenny's green eyes met his blues for moment when the two had bumped in each other.
"Go first." Gibbs said, making a motion with his head and giving one of his smirks when the initial shock of seeing the redhead passed, though he still looked suspicious at her, remembering his former wife, a redhead.
"Thank you." She smiled, looking curious at him and tumbling her head aside and Gibbs admired the woman from her lips with lipstick to her legs in high heel boots.
Jenny blushed slightly under his look, but wasn't intimidated, asking:
"Are you new here? My name is Jenny and I've been here for a while." And then she signaled to her kids. "These are Abby and Tony."
Gibbs smiled at her children and Abby opened a huge smile as she waved at him and Tony held out his hand, suspiciously.
"I'm Tony, the head of the family." He said puffing his chest and Gibbs laughed, shaking his hand and then turning to Jenny.
"I'm returning here. My name is Jethro Gibbs. These are Ziva and Tim."
"Hello." Jenny said, smiling at Ziva and Tim, who smiled back, although Tim seemed shy and Ziva looked hesitant, before shaking her hand and facing her.
Abby nodded to Tim, who blushed as Ziva and Tony stared each other, still trying to decide what they thought of each other, behind their parents.
"I'm going now. It was a pleasure to meet you, Ziva, Tim. Gibbs." She said turning to Gibbs, who smiled, but without letting his guard down near the redhead and he held out his free hand to her.
She squeezed his hand and felt a heat rise from her hand and spread through her body. He had warm hands and despite being calloused, they were gentle. Gibbs noted that she had delicate hands and saw a symbol in her bag, showing the image of a ballerina and a pair of ballet shoes and wondered with what the redhead worked.
"See you, Jenny." He said, his eyes shining, before heading to the convenience store.
Jenny felt her heart beat faster when she saw the intensity in his eyes as she walked away, casting one last look at him curiously. Gibbs was attracted for a moment for the redhead and her French perfume and followed her with his eyes until she disappeared with her kids on the street, thinking of her name, Jenny. She didn't give him her surname.
Jenny Jenny who can I turn to?
You give me something i can hold on to
