A/N: This idea was concocted by watching Family Man, with Nicholas Cage, spending a few hours under the stars, looking for a shooting star with my little sister, and strangely enough, A Christmas Carol. I hope you guys like it, and drop me a review, they make me smile and your feedback is enormously helpful! :)

Paris, April 1999

Jenny Shepard walked through the terminal, her heart breaking. Jethro was in the plane currently taking off, without her. She loved him, she did, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't go home and be another Mrs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Not when she had her career ahead of her. She had joined NCIS for a reason, and she had a duty to her father.

Wiping at the rapidly falling tears, she found the correct gate and attempted to collect herself enough to form a coherent statement to the ticket taker. She took a deep, steadying breath and placed her ticket on the counter.

This was her choice, and she prayed she wouldn't regret it.

D.C., September 2005

Jenny opened the door to her large Georgetown townhouse, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor as she deposited her keys in the dish on the table in the hall. She took off her coat, hanging it in the hall closet before heading up the stairs to her bedroom.

It was so empty, her house. No one but her lived in it, and it was so lonely. No husband, no children to keep her company, to make her smile, to make her happy for Pete's sake.

Sighing, she slipped out of her ridiculously high heels, placing them back in her closet before trading her dress slacks and button-up blouse for sweats and a t-shirt. Looking in the mirror, she winced at her appearance.

Her eyes had dark circles under them, and their green color wasn't as bright. Her hair was slipping out of it's tight up-do, and her skin was paler than usual. She pulled her hair completely out, the crimson curls cascading around her shoulders.

She walked back downstairs, heading into her kitchen and rummaging around in the cabinets, looking for something edible. Her house contained almost no food. How was that possible? Shaking her head, she grabbed a box of macaroni and put water on to boil, setting the timer.

She went into her study, pouring herself a much-needed glass of bourbon. Even just drinking the alcohol could arouse memories of him, and that wasn't what she needed, not what she wanted. She stopped the flood of memories, of his bright blue eyes locked with hers, his hands on her skin, his mouth on hers.

It had been five months since she had first seen him after six years in MTAC. Five months since she'd seen him staring at her like he'd seen a ghost. Five months since she'd lost any hope of ever being with Leroy Jethro Gibbs ever again.

She'd seen the way his blue eyes had shut down after she'd told him there wouldn't be any 'off the job'. She'd seen the way he'd looked at her these past five months, the way his face would harden when she crossed him or got in his way. She knew it hurt him, to see her every day, but he had no idea what hell she went through herself.

She'd broken her own heart, that day, and he didn't seem to understand that. He thought she'd never loved him, but that was the farthest thing from the truth. She still loved him with every fiber in her being. She couldn't control the fact that dating a subordinate was against the rules. She couldn't control the fact that he'd married again, only months after she'd left.

If anyone should be questioning who hadn't loved the other, it should be her asking him. If he had loved her, why had he married Stephanie a mere six months after she'd left? Could he answer that?

She was shaken out of her thoughts by the timer beeping, and she left her study, swiftly pouring the uncooked macaroni into the bubbling water, resetting the timer and placing a lid on the pot. She grabbed a bowl and a fork, placing them on the counter by the stove. Taking a deep drink of her bourbon, she leaned against the counter, her head resting softly against the cabinet behind her.

Jenny had thought about that day more times than she could count. She'd thought about what would have happened if she'd stayed. Jethro had already asked her to move in with him in D.C., and she'd said yes. She wondered when he would have proposed, and how. She wondered what their children would be like, and how many they would have.

She regretted her choice. She'd chosen business over pleasure, and now her life was all business. Everyone else on the Hill was married, so they didn't understand. They had no idea what it was like to see the person they loved and not be able to do a damn thing with them.

Sighing heavily, she turned off the burner and the timer, straining the pasta and putting the steaming noodles in her bowl. Grabbing her fork and her bourbon, she walked out onto her rarely used patio, sitting in one of the wicker chairs.

The September air had the slightest bite to it, but Jenny smiled into the light breeze. Staring up at the twinkling stars, her breath caught in her throat when one star shot across the sky.

"Wish I may, wish I might, wish upon this star tonight. Starlight, starbright, make my wish come true tonight." shutting her eyes tightly, Jenny made her wish. "I wish I could remake the choice I made seven years ago. I wish I could have a chance to have my fairytale ending."

She kept her eyes shut for a few moments, but when she opened them again she was still staring at her backyard.

"Come on Jenny, what were you expecting? It's a silly kids' rhyme from when you were little. Did you honestly think it was going to work?" shaking her head, she started to eat her now cool pasta. After a few long minutes, Jenny was startled by a loud crash from her kitchen.

"Jethro so help me if you broke something…" Jenny stopped when she caught sight of a beautiful woman standing by her kitchen island. She was about Jenny's height, and thin as a wisp. Her long blonde hair was secured in a neat French braid, and her blue eyes watched Jenny, amusement flickering across the brilliant irises. "Who are you?"

"My name isn't important. I'm here to help."

"By knocking over my pot?" Jenny couldn't help asking, having noticed what had caused the loud crash. The blonde woman blushed, her pale cheeks turning pink.

"That was an accident. I'm here because you made a pretty big wish a few minutes ago." Jenny stared at the woman, bewildered. Her wish had…worked? What was going on?

"Are you telling me that my wish on a shooting star…actually worked?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. We take wishes very seriously."

"So what are you my…fairy godmother or something?" Jenny asked, her head spinning. "And what did you mean by, 'I'm here to help?'"

"You could call it that." the blonde woman replied, nodding thoughtfully. "And you made a choice seven years ago that completely altered the course your life was on. Before you made it, your future had been planned out. See the thing with you humans is that you have free will. Fate works her butt off to set you up with your soul mates, and then you go and give them up for something silly like a career!" the woman said, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. Jenny flushed at her words. Jethro was her soul mate, and she had given it all up for a position. "Luckily for you, you're one of the few who have a chance to correct your mistake, or at least see what your life would be like." the blonde looked at her again, studying her. "Are you happy with this life, Jenny?"

"No." Jenny answered honestly. "Getting where I wanted doesn't have the same appeal I thought it would. I wish I had a family to come home to every night, a husband to kiss me, hold me, love me. I'd give up my job in a heartbeat if it meant I could come home to Jethro and kids every night."

"Just as I thought." the blonde woman said, nodding to herself. "We picked the right wish to grant. Well, let's just say that tomorrow morning, your life will be very different." the woman winked at her before turning on the spot and vanishing, leaving a dumbfounded Jenny staring at the kitchen floor, wondering exactly the woman had meant.

It took her a few minutes, but eventually Jenny was able move from her frozen position. She grabbed her now-cold bowl of pasta and put it in the sink before picking the fallen pot from the ground and placing it next to the bowl. Leaving the dirty dishes in the sink, she walked up to her bedroom slowly. She really didn't feel like reading over case files tonight, no matter the consequences she'd face tomorrow.

She reached her bedroom at the end of the hall and twisted the knob, pushing the door open into her bedroom. Sighing to herself, knowing tonight she would once again be sleeping alone, she took off her sweats and shirt and pulled a soft nightgown over her head. She climbed in-between her cool sheets, she curled up into a ball, pulling the covers closer around herself to ward off the chill in the air.

She tossed and turned the whole night, not able to fall into a deep sleep quite yet. Every time she looked at her clock, thinking another hour must have passed, it told her that only five minutes had gone by. She groaned as she glanced at the clock. It was eleven fifty-five, and she had to be up in five hours.

Burying her face back in the pillow, she closed her eyes and tried to relax her breathing. It seemed to do the trick, and she soon drifted off, the twelve dings of her grandfather clock in the hall lulling her into an even deeper sleep.

A/N: I'm not sure if this makes entire sense just yet, but I promise, next chapter will be longer, and have a ton more explanations in it. Leave me a review, letting me know what you think! :)