Jenny Shepard was busily working at her desk when she heard her door open. She continued working, deciding to ignore the intruder. She knew full well who it was—only one person ever just barged into her office.
She could no longer feign ignorance when something was suddenly placed down in front of her. She looked at it for a moment, and then glared over the rim of her glasses at the man standing in front of her desk.
"What is this?" She demanded.
"Think you might need a better pair of glasses," Jethro retorted, smirking at her.
She lifted an eyebrow at him, continuing to glare, not feeling in the mood for banter.
He lifted a finger and tapped the object.
"They're chocolates," he said slowly in an annoyingly patronizing manner.
"Thank you for pointing out the obvious," she snapped.
"You asked," he replied, smirking again.
"What I mean," she said dangerously, "is why have you come into my office with a box of chocolates? Are they case related? Do you need my approval of the brand? Are you worried they are poisoned and are hoping to test them out on me?"
He rolled his eyes dramatically at her.
"I got 'em for you, Jen," he said seriously.
Her hand flinched and she put down the pen in her hand. She glanced from the box back to Jethro, feeling taken aback.
"So they are poisoned," she quipped.
Jethro snorted.
"I solve murders for a livin', pretty sure I could come up with a better way," he deadpanned.
She smirked in spite of herself.
"Are you trying to bribe me? Is this your way of asking for a favor from the almighty Director?" She asked.
"No," he simply answered, his eyebrows furrowing at her in confusion.
"Oh?" She probed, arching an eyebrow at him.
"It's Valentines Day," he stated, looking at her like she was an idiot.
"I am aware. Abby was wandering around the building at seven this morning in a black cloak, leaving candy and roses on all the desks," she said, smiling at the red rose that was still laying on hers. "I assume since you are not a fan of chocolate, you are getting rid of the ones given to you by instead giving them to me? Perhaps get on my good side and kill two birds with one stone?"
"No, like I already told you, I got 'em for you," he said defensively, looking almost hurt.
"Why?" She asked, feeling annoyed that his behavior could still manage to surprise her sometimes.
He sighed, his hands flying up in a defeated sort of gesture.
"It's what you do," he said, sounding perplexed.
"No, it's what ignorant teenagers, sappy lovers, and happy people like Abby do. Not you," she replied.
"'M just bein' nice," he responded gruffly, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Jenny made a show of acting surprised. She pinched her arm multiple times and then smacked herself lightly in the back of the head.
"Jen," Jethro growled.
"I'm just checking to make sure this isn't a dream," Jenny responded smugly. "You're not normally the 'nice' kind of person. I can't think of any other reason for the gesture though, because last I checked we haven't been lovers for over six years."
Jethro leaned forward, placing his hands on her desk, his head moving closer to hers.
She felt her breath catch.
"Could change that right now if you want," he challenged, a mischievous glint flashing through his blue eyes.
She couldn't help the blush that appeared on her cheeks, nor the jump in her pulse. She was actually speechless. She couldn't decide if she should be angry, amused, or actually agree.
He backed away, looking far too conceited and triumphant. He turned and headed for the door.
"Jethro," Jenny spoke up as he reached for the handle, making him pause. "Thank you, really, for the chocolates. You didn't have to...and it was really thoughtful of you. I appreciate it."
"Happy Valentines, Jen," he grunted, his back still facing her. He opened the door and left.
Jenny bit her lip, mulling over everything, annoyed at how much he still affected her.
Her door popped open again seconds later and Jethro popped his head through the crack, the mischievous glint in his eyes looking even more troublesome.
"You know, Director," he said loudly, "if you ever want to take me up on that offer of mine, my front door is always open. 'Specially for you."
Jenny heard Cynthia go into a coughing fit in the other room, and she blushed furiously.
"Special Agent Gibbs," she began to reprimand, wanting to smack the satisfied grin off of his face.
"Just sayin'," he said, hastily popping his head out and closing the door again. She could actually hear him laugh in the other room.
She groaned and put her head in her hands, wondering how the hell he knew how to rile her up in about five different ways all at once. She grabbed the box of chocolates and opened it, picking up a chocolate and tossing it into her mouth. Her eyes closed in satisfaction—the smooth milk chocolate and gooey caramel center were divine.
Despite all the years that had passed, Jethro apparently still remembered what her favorite kind of chocolate was.
That night, it was pretty late by the time Jenny's security detail dropped her off at home. She had been one of the very last people in the whole building. Most of the others had left earlier than usual, all eager to spend their Valentines with their significant others.
She wasn't at home for very long before she realized that she didn't want to spend the night alone in her empty house. Something about the holiday, and knowing everyone else was doing something special, made her feel like she should be doing something different than usual.
She ran a hand through her hair, knowing she was about to make a stupid decision. She decided she wasn't going to think about it, and she was just going to go with it before she changed her mind, so she grabbed her keys and headed out her door.
By the time she found herself at the top of his basement stairs, she almost turned right around and marched out. She knew that her being there would stroke his already massive ego, and she wasn't sure she wanted to be responsible for that. She felt like her showing up was admitting defeat, like he had won their little game—and she hated it when he won.
Then again, she was sick of playing.
"I'm surprised you don't have a woman down here, seeing how it's Valentines and all," she called from the top of the stairs.
He looked up from the boat, the corner of his lip twitching up.
"Got one now," he quipped.
She smirked, choosing not to reply, heading down the stairs to him. She couldn't deny that she was relieved that he didn't have a woman in his life right now.
"Didn't actually think you'd take me up on that offer," he said, a smug smile spreading on his face.
"Don't feel so proud of yourself, maybe I just came by to chew you out for making poor Cynthia nearly choke to death earlier," she retorted, stepping right up to him.
"If I'd known all it took was a damn box of chocolates, I'd have gotten you some months ago," he said, chuckling.
"Shut up," she ordered, smiling in spite of herself and shaking her head.
She reached up and put her hands on his cheeks and paused, staring at him as she debated whether or not to take the plunge. She could still turn back, keep the boundaries set up before it was too late.
Any hesitancy she felt left when he suddenly had one hand on her hip, pulling her closer, tangling his other hand in her hair.
She reached up and pulled his face down to hers, kissing him with reckless abandon. She felt satisfaction in the fact that he was the one to let out a moan. Clearly, she wasn't the only one admitting defeat.