A/N: I know you guys were hoping to get the next chapter of The Shepard Family, but I have not finished the next chapter yet, so I decided to post this instead. ;)
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NCIS.
ENJOY!
He didn't know what was happening to her. When they woke up today, she was more distant than usual, and it was scaring him.
Was she changing her mind about them again?
They had gotten back together again after Carson came, and he decided to let her back in again. It had been a year since then, and they were so happy together. He didn't understand why she was acting so cold.
It had started with their usual morning kiss – she had pushed him away when he leant in. Then, she wouldn't let him shower with her – imagine that! She hardly said a word during breakfast, giving him monosyllabic answers. And when they reached work, she just walked away, without even a goodbye kiss!
At first, he thought he had forgotten an important day. He had checked the calendar three times just to make sure, and all times it said the same thing - 4th of November. So Valentine's Day was out, and her birthday as well. He racked his brain for more anniversaries, but the day they had gotten back together was in October, the same month as her birthday. It couldn't be the anniversary of their engagement either – he had proposed at least two months ago.
So why the hell was she ignoring him?
After work, he had waited up for her, only to receive a voicemail saying that she decided to stay at her Georgetown Mansion for the night.
That had been the last straw.
He grabbed his car keys and drove to her house, cursing and swearing each time he hadn't been able to pass the red light. When he finally reached the house, every light was off except for her bedroom, and he could see her shadow, sitting on her bed and hugging her knees tightly.
He took out his phone and dialed her number. She answered after the second ring.
"Shepard," she sounded like she was crying. She was sniffing a lot, and she sounded as if she was trying not to let more tears fall.
"Jenny?" he asked softly.
"Jethro!" she cursed loudly. Obviously, she forgot to check her Caller ID.
"Jen, what's going on?" he asked worriedly. He walked up to the front door and lifted the potted plant beside it, revealing the spare key that she never bothered to use. He heard her sigh at the other end of the line.
"Nothing's wrong, Jethro."
"Bull," he said, unlocking the door softly and entering her house.
"You honestly don't remember what day it is today?" she asked, and now she sounded like she was trying as hard as she could to prevent the tears from falling.
"Sorry, Jen." He sounded apologetic.
Please don't cry, please don't cry. He thought hopefully.
To his horror, she burst into tears, and he rushed up the stairs and into her bedroom. He just wanted her to be alright, to make everything okay again. He pushed open her bedroom door and found her, crying into her knees. Her sobs shook her entire body.
He immediately rushed to her side when he saw her, and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed every inch of her that his lips could reach – she was shaking so much, it was impossible for him to kiss her properly.
"I'm sorry, Jenny." He murmured into her hair. She shook her head. "No, really. But I can't remember what today is."
"Jethro," she whispered hoarsely, still not looking at him. "Ten years ago… where were you?"
He tried to think back. Ten years ago would mean 1999. November 4th, 1999.
Then it clicked.
Paris.
It had been a decade since she left her letter in the pocket of her coat. A decade since she left him on the plane.
He finally understood.
"Jen…" he said softly, kissing her hair. "It's okay. I still love you so much. You still mean everything to me."
"No, it isn't, Jethro." She wiped her tears away. "I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you."
"Doesn't matter. You'll still get me." He said, hugging her tighter. Then he changed tactics. "But you do deserve me."
He thought that she was over it already, that her regrets had stopped haunting her since the day he said 'I love you' to her. Apparently it hadn't, and he wished more than anything that it would, because he couldn't stand seeing her cry. He couldn't stand seeing her hurt, physically and emotionally.
"Jenny, it's okay." He said soothingly, kissing her cheek and wiping her tears away gently. "You're here now. That's all that matters."
He could feel her calming down slowly. He hugged her tighter, and pressed a soft kiss onto her hair. She snuggled further into his embrace; it gave her a sense of comfort that he was there, with her, telling her that no matter what, he would stay.
He stroked her cheek lovingly. He leaned in and kissed her nose, then her forehead, both her cheeks, and finally, her lips. He kissed her softly and slowly, taking his time. He pulled back after a few moments and smiled at her.
"I'm not going anywhere, Jen." He said, brushing hair out of her eyes. "Not over something that happened ten years ago."
"I'm sorry, Jethro. I left. You should have never forgiven me for that." She looked up at him with teary eyes.
"But you came back."
"And turned you down again."
He knew what she was talking about. Her first day as Director of NCIS, when she had told him not to make things difficult and that there would be 'no of the job'. He also knew that it almost killed her to say it, because he had seen the way she looked. Sad. Regretful. Lonely.
And he wanted to take away all her pain.
"Jenny, I love you. Nothing's gonna change that." He said softly. "You came back. You're back in my arms again, and I'm so grateful for that."
He kissed her passionately, wanting to convey everything her felt into the kiss. She responded happily, and when he pulled back, she smiled for the first time that day. He smiled back at her, just admiring the beauty of her smile. It would always be the one thing that lit up his world.
"Are you convinced that you deserve me?" he asked, smiling at her.
"No." she said. "Nothing would ever be able to convince that I deserve you."
He smiled, because he felt that he didn't deserve a beautiful creature like her, too.
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- Nat.