Jenny sat in her study sipping on a glass of bourbon and staring into the middle distance. Try as she might she couldn't get Danny out of her mind, and every time she thought about him feelings of anger and hurt would rise to the surface. She couldn't believe that he still had that effect on her after all of these years, but then she glanced at the photograph of her and Penny on her desk and remembered why.

The photograph showed Penny aged about six or seven, and she was smiling happily with two front teeth missing. Jenny had been about twenty-three when it was taken, and she was holding on to her daughter tightly and laughing. Of course back then Penny hadn't known that Jenny was her mom, since Jenny's parents had been the ones who had raised her. With that thought her feelings of anger re-surfaced, and her mind drifted back to the night she had told Danny.

November 1983

Jenny sat on the benches facing the football field, and carefully watched her boyfriend, of two months, at football practice. She sat with her earmuffs, scarf and gloves on in a vain attempt to keep her warm in the November cold. She smiled at him happily as he came running towards her once the team coach had called practice to an end, and the rest of the team walked off to the changing rooms.

'Hey Jen, how long have you been sat here?' He asked as he joined her and was grateful when she passed him a bottle of water.

'Ooo not too long, I promise.' She replied.

'So where've you been? I didn't see you in math earlier, everything OK?' He asked as he took another gulp or two of water.

'Yeah everything is fine, I was just at the doctors that's all.' She said with a very happy smile on her face. 'Actually I've got some news for you. I'm pregnant!' She added, her smile the biggest she could manage, and she could barely contain her excitement.

Danny on the other hand was not excited; instead he rested his head in his hands and sighed in disbelief.

'Oh my God Jen…well don't worry about it, everything will be fine. We'll go down to the clinic and we'll get everything sorted out.' He said as he suddenly faced her.

'Clinic? What clinic? What are you talking about?' She said as she felt the tears stinging at her eyes.

'Well the abortion clinic of course. I mean you're not going to keep it surely?' He said, attempting to hide the anger he felt.

'Yeah of course I'm going to keep it, what kind of a stupid question is that Danny?' She replied sounding a little hysterical. 'You know I didn't exactly plan this, but it's happened and we're going to have a baby whether you like it or not.' She said as she all but shouted at him, resulting in him standing from his position on the benches.

'Well do what you want Jen, but don't expect me to have anything to do with it.' He shouted at her as he stormed off.

'Danny where are you going?' She shouted back as she stood up from her seat, the tears running down her face.

He didn't reply to her but continued to walk away. As he continued to walk Jenny sat back down and sobbed. She knew that he wouldn't be happy with the news of the pregnancy, but she'd thought he'd have been man enough to take responsibility.

'Mom is everything alright?' Penny said as she hovered at the door of the study, not taking a step closer over the threshold, pulling Jenny from her thoughts.

'Hey this is a first for you; it's the closest I think you've ever dared ventured in.' Jenny replied tiredly, referring to Penny's fear of entering the study.

'Yeah well don't think I'm coming any closer than this.' Penny replied adamantly. 'So are you alright?' She asked again.

'Yeah I'm OK, I was just thinking that's all.' Jenny replied as she turned off the desk lamp and walked out of the study towards her daughter. 'Come here.' She said as she held out her arms to her daughter and held her tightly.

Jenny didn't have many regrets in life, she was a firm believer that people make their decisions and should make them work, but the one thing she definitely regretted was letting her parents take Penny on as their own, and push her out of the picture. But she had done it because she'd believed it was the right thing for her daughter, and that was something that she stood by.

'Let's get to bed before it gets any later; after all, it is your first day back at work tomorrow.' Jenny said as she corralled Penny towards the stairs.

Penny reluctantly headed up; if she had her way she would be up all night, but she knew her mom was right. At the top of the stairs they both went into their separate rooms where Jenny joined Gibbs in hers. She quietly crept into the room trying not to wake his already sleeping form. As she got in beside him she smiled happily as she watched him.

'What are you smiling at?' He asked, his eyes still closed.

'You. You're so very peaceful when you're asleep.' She said as she lay on her side and ran her finger over his bare chest.

He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her in close to him, turning slightly to face her.

'Is everything alright with you and Penny? Only you both seemed to be acting a bit odd this evening' He asked.

Jenny wasn't entirely sure how to reply, because deep down she didn't know exactly how she was feeling, but there was no use trying to hide it from him as his damn gut would let him know that something was up.

'Um…Penny's biological father showed up today.' She said bluntly.

Gibbs didn't know what to say to that, but he felt a little pang of jealousy at the thought of Jenny's ex coming back into her life.

'What did he want?' He asked, trying to hide his jealousy.

'I don't know. He said that he just wanted to catch up with old friends whilst he's back at his father's funeral.' She explained.

'Do you think he knows about Penny?' He asked as he comfortingly rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

'Well she arrived home whilst he was here, so he met her. Whether or not he'll put two and two together is a different story though.' She explained with concern.

'Well I guess that's a problem for tomorrow, isn't it?' He said as he slunk closer to her and kissed her suggestively.

The next morning both Penny and Gibbs left to start their day at NCIS, as Jenny settled down to watch some day time telly; something she rarely did.

Entering the porter cabin at the rear of the destroyed headquarters, Penny was glad to see her friends and colleagues. They were sat at their desks, as usual, and had clearly been arguing about something. As soon as she entered they cheered with delight when they saw her.

'Penny it's great to see you.' Tony said as he went to hug his friend.

'Aw it's good to see you too Tony.' She replied as she hugged him back and then went to hug Ziva.

'It's been so quiet without you.' She said as she also hugged her friend.

'Yeah we've had to listen to Tony's incessant jokes on our own.' McGee said happily.

Penny began to laugh at the thought of the three of them stuck in the small room together for the last few weeks, but she had to admit that she had really missed them all.

'So where's Abby's "lab"?' She asked excitedly.

'Her "lab" is the third cabin down on the right.' Tony said.

'Great I'm just going to go and say hi.' She said as she opened the cabin door and nearly ran in to Gibbs with his cup of coffee. 'I'm just going to go say hi to Abs.' She said to him as she stepped back to let him through.

'OK, but don't be too long please Penny.' He said in a fatherly tone.

Nodding her head in agreement Penny disappeared outside once again, counting the porter cabin in the direction Tony had indicated. Finally she found one that had a make-shift sign on the door stating "Lab". As she knocked on the door she could hear Abby's music blasting out, and she smiled with the thought of how much she'd missed being part of the team. She entered the cabin once Abby had indicated that she was alright to go in, and she smiled in delight when she saw her friend.

'Hey Abs, just thought I stop by and say hi.' Penny said as Abby lunged herself at her.

'Oh yay I'm so glad you're back Pennla. I mean I know that I saw you whilst you were off and everything, but it's not been the same without you around. So what's new with you?' Abby said in her usual hundred miles an hour ramble.

'Well…if I tell you something can you keep it to yourself?' She asked, and Abby nodded with a concerned expression. 'My biological dad turned up last night out of the blue, and I don't know what he wants or why he's here or anything. I don't even know if he knows who I actually am. Jen seems to think that he doesn't know, but I'm not too sure.' She explained.

'Wow Pen, what are you going to do?' Abby asked as she rested against the table in the centre of the room.

'I don't know; just pray that he doesn't suspect anything I guess. You know, I already had a dad, and sure he died when I was little and technically not actually my dad, but to me he was my dad nonetheless; and now I've got Gibbs who is kind of like my dad and I kind of think of him like that. I don't have room in my life for some who turned their back on my mom when she needed them the most, and now decides that they want to play happy families.' Penny explained with a hint of anger and bitterness in her voice.

Abby placed her arm around her friend's shoulders and gave her a comforting squeeze before Penny lightened the mood once again.

'Did you hear Daddy asked Mommy to marry him?' She asked with excitement.

'Oh my God! No I hadn't heard that, Gibbs has kept that so quiet.' Abby replied with equal excitement.

'Oh well don't say anything to them just yet then, I think I have a better plan.' Penny said with a mischievous grin.