Pulling out the price list for the mini bar Jenny grimaced at the price of one of the mini bottles of alcohol, and after today's events she'd need to drink the lot to feel any better.
Letting out a hiss of air, she threw the laminated sheet to the side in disgust. She drank spirits on occasion, but she didn't like them enough to bankrupt herself raiding a hotel mini bar for them.
Her eyes drifted to the two cases and the few boxes she'd abandoned near the doorway, she supposed she should at least attempt to unpack. She'd be here for at least a few days until she found a suitable apartment to lease. Groaning, she lugged the first case over to the bed and unzipped it, carefully hanging her outfits in the closet and lining her shoes along the bottom in matching pairs. Once that was done, she turned her attention back to the boxes. Carefully, she lifted them, and placed them into a faraway corner. They didn't contain her clothes, jewellery or make up. Instead they had family photo albums, the decanter from her father's study and a few other sentimental items. She'd been told that it was safe to leave them in the house, but she wasn't taking any chances.
Swallowing heavily, she blinked back tears as she sank onto the bed. She rested her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands. Her house was in ruins, something that hadn't really sunk in until she'd walked inside. Not only were her back two bedrooms only protected from the elements by a sheet of glorified plastic. But the walls of her hallway were streaked with dirt and the wallpaper was soaked through and in some spots had even started to peel. She shook her head, no she certainly wasn't about to leave anything that meant anything to her in there.
She ran a hand through her hair, grimacing at the tangled mess she encountered. Her hair did not react well to rain, it had a tendency to turn into frizz. Glancing up she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and winced. Her makeup had long since abandoned her, and her while the majority of her face was even paler than usual, the apples of her cheeks were still red from the cold wind and rain.
Definitely time for a shower, she decided grimly as she got to her feet. Pulling a fluffy towel out of the cupboard she headed towards the bathroom, draping the towel over the heated towel rack for when she was done.
She let her clothes drop to the floor, instead of carrying out her usual routine of hanging up the suit jacket and skirt. Tonight she really wasn't bothered about creases, in fact they were at the very bottom of her ever-growing list of concerns.
Stepping under the spray of hot water, Jenny let out a small groan as it hit her cold skin and felt her tense muscles gradually loosen. Pouring a generous amount of shampoo onto her palm, she set to work in de-tangling her hair.
Gibbs slipped inside the room, looking around the room, he called out, "Jen?"
He moved further into the room and immediately became aware of the sound of running water. Shifting slightly on his feet, Gibbs attempted to bat away the mental image of Jenny in the shower before it led to images of the activities they used to indulge in while in the shower. He muttered a curse under his breath as those images followed regardless.
Shaking himself, he placed the bag of takeout on the small round table, and began laying it out neatly. He knew that Jenny wasn't the best at eating regularly when everything was running smoothly, so he'd figured that the best thing he could do for her was for the food to be placed right in front of her, and no excuse available for her to dodge it.
Jenny's security hadn't even raised an eyebrow when he'd shown up, the man on the door simply opening the door and standing to one side. Belatedly Gibbs wondered if they had the completely the wrong idea when it came to their relationship. He gave a small shrug, it didn't really bother him. Gossip about just how close he and Jenny were, was nothing new.
Laying out the plastic cutlery, Gibbs dropped down into one of the two chairs surrounding the table and flicking the bottle top onto the table he took a glug of beer and tried not to fixate on thoughts of Jenny in the shower.
As if someone was actually listening to him, the water finally shut off, and Gibbs prayed to God that she had something on when she walked out of there. Otherwise he really couldn't be held responsible for his actions.
Draping the oversized robe around her shoulders, Jenny pulled the sash tight and rolled up the sleeves. She rubbed at her hair with the towel, squeezing out the excess water before pulling open the door, her steps stopping abruptly when she saw who was waiting for her.
Continuing with the towel, she told him calmly, "One of these days you'll break in and I'll shoot you, I can always claim I thought you were an intruder."
He let out a throaty chuckle. "And to think I brought you dinner."
Jenny's eyes fell to the table. "I won't shoot you this time then," she replied easily as she slipped into the seat across from him. "Chinese," she muttered approvingly.
Passing her a bottle of beer, they fell into a comfortable silence while they ate. Halfway through the meal, Jenny finally spoke. "So how did you get into my locked hotel room?"
"Your detail let me in, they have a spare card thing."
"Key card," Jenny corrected him. "It's good to know that they respect my privacy," she joked.
He shrugged, knowing that if it was anyone else it wouldn't have been quite so easy to get past them. It was nice to know that the rumour mill had at least some benefits. After another moment of silence, he finally asked, "So how bad is it?"
Jenny grimaced as she replied, "It could be worse and at least no one was hurt."
"That wasn't what I asked." Gibbs eyed her carefully, knowing that she was putting on a brave front, knowing that that house meant a lot to her.
Her shoulders slumped. "The roof will need completely replaced. The two back bedrooms are completely ruined, although at least there was nothing valuable in them. The rain and dirt got into the hallway so it's going to need a complete overhaul. The back wall of the house appears to be stabled but I won't know until it's been properly checked."
"I know a pretty good contractor, if you don't have one already."
Jenny glanced up and gave a small smile, "I don't as it happens."
"I'll get his number for you."
Reaching across, Jenny squeezed his hand, "Thank you, Jethro."
He gave a brief nod, before turning his attention back to his meal, only to be distracted again by Jenny exclaiming, "Oh! Fortune cookies."
As she leaned forward the gown gaped, and Gibbs caught sight of her uncovered breasts. He stifled a groan, and she glanced up at him, her eyes clouded with concern. "Are you ok?"
He shifted in his seat, grounding out, "I'm fine."
Jenny eyes followed his flickering gaze and quickly realised just what had caught his attention. Her mouth twitched in amusement. "Get your mind out of the bedroom, Jethro."
He didn't point out the fact that essentially they were in her bedroom, instead he asked gruffly, "What your fortune?"
Grinning, Jenny tucked her robe neatly around herself and breaking open the cookie, read blandly aloud, "Life will throw you a pleasant curve." She looked back up to find Jethro struggling to not to laugh. Rolling the paper into a ball, she bounced it easily into the waste-paper basket and shot him a triumphant look as she bit into the cookie itself.
The conversation continued along easy lines for a while, until Gibbs noticed Jenny stifling a yawn. Getting to his feet he tugged her onto hers. "Bedtime," he announced. Her eyes widened at him, and he added, "I'll be going home. To my own bed."
"Or basement floor," she quipped neatly.
"Each to their own."
Laughing, Jenny pulled a mock sad face. "And here I thought I was about to get my pleasant curve."
Chuckling lowly in his throat, he went to place a fleeting kiss to her cheek, "G'night, Jen."
She turned her face to return the sentiment and felt the lips that had been aiming for her cheek brush her mouth instead. She shot a smile up at him. "Goodnight, Jethro."
She watched him grab his jacket and head towards the door. Once the heavy hotel door had swung shut, Jenny dropped down onto her bed, intending to close her eyes for a second and drifted off into an easy sleep.