Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS

Authors note – this is for Left My Heart In Paris because I know that she's kinda lost her Jibbs plot bunny's and muse at the moment so I thought I'd write this. So, to an amazing author and a great friend, I hope that you enjoy Meg xxx

Snow.

White, powdery, snow that covers everything.

Each flake something individually different, special yet nothing all too incredible on its own. But when hundreds and thousands are put together they create something all so wonderful. Something, which just like a blanket covers every surface. That lies on top of bare branches, which gradually build up, layer upon layer, until the floor beneath is completely covered and all that can be seen is white. Like a sea of whiteness flooding everything. It causes a country to grind to a halt, children to put on their red plastic willies and little bright bobble hats before running outside. It makes full grown adults act like children as they find an excuse to venture out into the cold, that is nothing less than a piece of magic.

Snow.

It makes footprints follow you wherever you go; like the regrets that follow so many people around. The cold makes pale cheeks go flushed with pink and noses red like Rudolph. It drives so many people mad, holds up journeys and cancels plans. Yet with snow, there is something everyone likes, whether it is the absolute beauty of a dusting of white, or the snow days off of school it brings, there is always something about it that we grow to like.

Once there was a time when Jenny Shepard spent days like today, when the snow was thick and covered everything, outside. With her father behind her they'd make snowmen so tall she'd think they were giants, have snowball fights so long they felt like they'd last a year and then make snow angels that looked like they had fallen out of heaven. There would never be a piece of untouched snow left for miles around. And when she would run inside Jenny would be greeted by Noemi who would sweep her up in a Hispanic greeting and change her into fresh pyjamas that had been warming by the fire. Then she'd curl up with her dad, he'd read her a tale from the giant purple and gold book of Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale collection, whilst she'd sip away at a hot chocolate before nodding off. The story would not even be over, but she'd be asleep and her father would finish. There was something about those simple days when everything was perfect that Jenny would never forget. Life was never easy as a child; she was brought up by her house keeper because her mother had died when Jenny was only two. She'd never known the red head whom he father had spoken so fondly of, her dad had done everything he could, but he was deployed more often than not.

Jenny sighed, it wasn't right to be dwelling in the past when she already had other problems on her mind. She and Jethro were together, and although that made her happy and brought a smile to her face, there were problems. They'd been back together for two months, things had been perfect, until yesterday that was, when things had gone to pot. They'd had a case where a marine's wife and son had been killed in a car crash. As soon as he'd seen the crime scene he had left. Walked away, leaving his team to deal with the crime scene. Too many memories had flooded through his mind and been dredged up from the dark crevices. It had been too similar to Shannon and Kelly. To make his already bad mood worse it turned out that the wife was a former associate of a member of a terrorist cell in DC that the FBI had been investigation. So, Fornell and his two suited penguins had arrived. Jethro had fought, Jenny had fought and Fornell had fought but the best thing they could reach was a joint investigation. That's when things had turned sour. And so, when their private lives had gone crashing into their work lives, and their past had got twisted in the middle and a massive argument had got blown out of proportion.

Last night was the first night in two months that they had both gone to separate houses, slept in separate beds. When she'd woken up this morning in a cold bed all alone, there had been snow outside. Snow that meant plans were cancelled and that she wasn't leaving the house. It meant that she and Jethro were leaving things to stew for another day.

Now Jenny Shepard sat on the bay window of her living room looking out over her back garden. She watched the birds feed on the bird table Noemi filled up. Admired the snow coating on the slight sloped lawn, on the dead bare branches of the old oak tree from which her childhood swing hung from. Sighing Jenny took a sip of her now luke warm coffee. She was tired, she'd only had a fitful sleep the previous night, and to add to it she was fed up. She didn't want to be alone on a day like today when memories were swimming around her mind too much.

Jenny placed the white mug on the wooden floor when she heard the doorbell ringing. Knowing that Noemi was on her day off she got up and walked on sock clad feet to the heavy oak door. What Jenny was not expecting to see was the man on the other side. There stood the infamous Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Wearing Jeans and a black woollen coat fastened up to the neck. His hair was not salt and pepper but dappled with flakes of snow – not melted in the freezing weather. Like a shower of dandruff, matching snow covered his shoulders. Jenny couldn't help but be happy he was here, albeit she was also more than a little confused at his presence on her doorstep.

The red head hugged her arms around herself, dressed just in a pair of black leggings, socks and a baggy green jumper with her hair tied up in a messy bun she was cold. "I'm sorry." He said, and that was it. She looked in his eyes and saw it, the sadness. She smiled, because it mirrored hers too.

"So am I." She replied. Looking down Jenny opened the door wider to let him in, Jethro walked past, squeezing her hand as he did so. Jen then went on to close the door, locking out the cold. "Take your shoes off. I don't want snow trampling through the house." Said Jenny, nodding to the mass of white that was clinging onto his shoes. She then took his coat and hung it up before walking into he kitchen to make two fresh cups of coffee. As she waited for the machine to brew he came up behind her and kissed her exposed neck. She realised then how much she couldn't live without him. Smiling, she turned around in his arms and kissed him on the lips. When they parted she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, kissing it at the same time. She closed her eyes as she listened to his heartbeat.

"I missed you." He whispered into her hair.

"I missed you too." She added as she looked up at him, kissing him sweetly on the lips before she went to go and pour the coffee from the pot. As the steaming coffee filled the mugs he looked outside. For Jethro snow brought back memories of playing with Kelly whilst Shannon would watch from the window. With snow there was always a pang of pain. Maybe that was why he had swallowed his pride to make his way over to Jenny's, or maybe it was simply because he missed not being with her.

She glanced over as she put the pot back, seeing he was a million miles away she knew that he was most likely thinking about his family. She didn't ask about it, she never did, it was a thing they would discuss in the future, when the time came.

Gently she placed a kiss on his cheek to bring him back to the present day and placed the coffee in his hand before walking back into the lounge. She didn't need to tell him to follow, he just did. That day they spent the time curled up on the bay window seat. They remembered times silently, they remembered times together. Thought about time spent in Paris sat by the river, they both even divulged a bit of precious information about their pasts. They spent time just being Jenny and Jethro, a couple in love. They put their jobs aside, along with all the other things that didn't matter and just concentrated on them. Things were perfect, and it was a new memory of which snow would hold for the both of them.

Hope you enjoyed,

-fashiongirl97