Author's note: So this is set during the 'Kill Ari' episodes. I'm making 'Kill Ari' about three years sooner, so it's only been three years since Paris, not six. I haven't decided if I'm going to do more than one chapter; if I get a ton of reviews telling me I should, then I will. So please, review, and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I think that the fact that I do not own NCIS is apparent.

Jethro simply stared at Jenny, flashbacks from Paris running through his mind.

"Shall we skip the 'you haven't changed a bit' bullet?" she said, raising an eyebrow at his silence.

"Why start lying to each other now, Jen?" he asked, disbelieving that this woman was standing right in front of him after these past three years.

He dialed her number from memory, laughing silently that he could still dial it without looking at the phone. He put the phone to his ear, hearing it ringing.

"Shepard."

"Jen we have to talk. Can I please come in?"

Silence from her end, then what sounded like a door opening and closing. He heard her sigh before she answered.

"Fine. I'll be down in a minute."

"Alright. See you soon Jenny."

-NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS-

When Jenny heard Jethro's deep, rumbling voice on the phone, she thought her heart was going to explode. He asked her to come in, her first thought was no. He can't know yet; it's too soon. But he had a right to know, so she might as well get it over with as soon as possible. She got out of bed, going across the hall to check on the sleeping form in the bed. She closed the door behind, and then told Jethro she'd be down in a second. She looked in the mirror, taking in the slightly smudged make-up, her messy crimson curls, her satin nightgown. She smiled slightly, remembering everything this nightgown at seen. It had been Jethro's favorite, and she had been wearing it often, trying to get as close to Jethro as she could even though he was far away.

She went down the stairs, trailing her fingers on the railing. She reached the door, and took a big breath. She grasped the door handle and opened the door, taking in the sight of Jethro. He looked at her, blocking his way in. He looked at her, questions in his eyes.

"You can come in on a condition." Jenny said, hands on her hips.

"And what would that condition be, Jen?" he asked.

"You can't wake Sadie up."

"Jen. Who is Sadie? And why would I wake her up?" he asked, extremely confused.

"Well Jethro…she's…" Jenny ran her fingers through her thick curls, rubbing her tired eyes. "She's our daughter."

-NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS-

Jethro stared at Jenny in disbelief, uncomprehending the words coming out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry. Our who?" he asked her.

"Our daughter, Jethro." Jenny said, looking scared.

"When did you have a baby? And why did I not know about this before right now?" Jethro asked, his voice rising.

"Jethro if you do not quiet down you will have to leave. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't know how. I can tell you that I had no idea I was pregnant when I left. If I had, I never would have left your side. Butt I did leave. I left you, bleeding and broken hearted. When I came home, you were remarried, and I thought you were happy. I didn't want to ruin happiness for you Jethro; you deserved so much of it after I left. Sadie Marie Shepard was born on June 10. She weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces. She was a good baby; she hardly cried. As she got older, she was very much like you, she's thoughtful, and she cares very deeply about the people close to her. I did tell her about you. She knows that you love her; she knows that your job keeps you away. Every time I look at her, I think of you, and how sorry I was for leaving. I'm so sorry Jethro I am, I just…I just" the end of her statement was cut off by a sob. Tears trailed down her cheeks, and Jethro wordlessly pulled her into him. She buried her face in his chest, staining his shirt. He brushed a kiss on the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her. Jenny's sobs were loud, and after a few minutes, they both heard tiny footsteps on the stairs. Jenny brought her head out of Jethro's chest, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Mommy?" a tearful voice came from the stairs.

Jethro took in Jenny's almost double; the toddler had Jenny's thick red curls, her graceful features, but her teary eyes were his sapphire eyes. She had her thumb in her mouth and a purple teddy bear under her arm.

"Oh baby, I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you up. Come here babe." Jenny said, opening her arms to the little girl. She ran down the stairs and threw herself into Jenny's arms. Jenny cradled the crying toddler to her chest, rubbing her back soothingly. She looked at Jethro, not quite glaring but not entirely happy.

"She was actually asleep for once." she mouthed over the little girls' head.

"Sorry." he mouthed back, shrugging.

As the toddler's cries turned from sobs to hiccups, she took her tearstained face out of her mother's neck. She blinked at the man that stood in front of her, looking at him as if she recognized him. Jenny noticed, and smiled at her daughter.

"Sadie, I have someone I want you to meet." She put her forehead against her daughter's. "Sadie, this is Daddy."

Sadie looked at her, surprise on her face.

"Daddy? Really? From pictures? And video?"

Jenny smiled and nodded.

"Yeah baby. He's the one. He's home, and he wanted to say hi. Do you want to say hi?"

Sadie nodded her head, and held her arms out to Jethro. He took her into his arms easily, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Her wide blue eyes took him in, memorizing his face. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from her face very long; he needed to know exactly what she looked like, what her voice sounded like. He needed to know everything about her; he needed to know what he favorite colors were, what foods she hated, what her favorite Disney princess was. He opened his mouth to say something; to try and explain to his wonderful little girl why he had never seen her before this, to try and apologize just how sorry he was he had missed a single second of her life. Before he could get any words out though, Sadie opened her mouth. The single statement that left her mouth were enough to make tears spring into his eyes.

"I missed you Daddy."