Title: July 4

Author: Sheenqua

Hour Challenge

It was the perfect day for a picnic and the gang was lucky to have reserved the park for themselves for the afternoon. It wasn't easy to reserve a spot in the vast park on this July Fourth holiday but with Jenny Shepard as the contact in charge of finding the venue they knew she could make it happen. She, after all, had special powers according to their young daughter.

"Mama," the little red head clad in her Burberry suit beckoned to her mother who was standing by her father with the salt and pepper hair, squirting the gasoline over the charcoal for the barbeque.

"Hey sweetie," Jenny Shepard said picking her daughter up from the ground looking at where she had been previously spotting Tony and the rest of the team sitting around the picnic blanket fooling around with the freshly cut watermelons and spitting the seeds up as a contest. "Did Uncle Tony scare you?"

Jemma Gibbs just nodded her head hiding her face in the crook of her mother's neck for comfort. She had been accidentally hit by the said seed and it wasn't an experience she would like to have again.

"What did DiNozzo do this time?" Gibbs asked wrapping an arm around his little family while the other held the tong for flipping the barbeque. He left the grill for a moment to check on his family to see what was wrong. There weren't many things in the world that could upset their Jemma.

"It's nothing, Jemma just doesn't like what they're doing," Jenny explained to her husband leaning into his embrace.

"Ya know, Jen," Gibbs started glancing at the grill careful not to burn the meat. "Should really work on giving her someone to play with."

Jenny shook her head. "I'll tell Ziva and Tony to get right on it."

Jenny moved out of Gibbs' grasp but his grasp just tightened around her.

"Don't you dare," Gibbs replied before letting go hearing the sizzle of the meat on the grill. Jenny turned to watch her husband walk away to where the grill was with a smile on her face. What a nice view.

"Mama?" Jemma whispered to Jenny's ear. "Me big sister?"

Jenny ruffled her head a bit with a smile. "Shhh. It's our secret remember?"

"Shhh, secwet," Jemma said copying her mother's actions by placing a finger over her lips. She broke out into a great smile directed at her mother. It was their 'girls only' secret. She had only found out the day before because she had skipped her period and was worried about menopause-ing and the works. It turns out, her reproductive system was still working as if she was back in her thirties. She was four weeks pregnant and knew already how the baby was conceived.

"Jenny," Gibbs called out to her. They were outdoors at the beach that he used to take Kelly and Shannon. He had figured that he could take a week off with the Director – his wife to share this with her. It was those little things, taking baby steps in letting Jenny and their daughter in his old life. Letting the past meet the future.

They had watched the sun set together wine and dinner, the whole enchilada. After, they had decided to ride around on the horses that Gibbs had rented for the weekend that night to just see what it was like in the night. They had been riding for about two hours after the sunset and Gibbs had wanted to call it a day but Jenny had other ideas.

"Just a second," Jenny called out to him. She hadn't been on a horse for a while and better yet she hadn't been away from their daughter for a long time. The little 18 month old had been attached to her hip… pardon the pun. This was her first time away from the baby and it was a taste of freedom as if she and Gibbs were back in their agent days exploring the European landscapes and trying to bring down the bad guys.

"We have the whole weekend, Jenny," Gibbs whined to her.

"Exactly, so whatever it is you want to do, can wait."

"But Jen," he whined to her. His lips went out into a pout and his blue eyes shone up to her pleadingly. She smiled at that particular scene. It was times like that where Jemma Gibbs was all Jethro. Her blue eyes and lips pouted in the same way. Sure, her facial structure and her hair was taken from Jenny's side but her attitude and pout were all Jethro.

"Jethro," Jenny said with a smile, "patience."

"What if I don't wanna be patient?"

"Then that's you're problem."

Gibbs shook his head walking up to her horse and pulling her down in one swift motion. She squealed not expecting Gibbs to make that move at all. He proceeded to carry her into their four person tent loving that they had a family size tent because that way he didn't have to try and cramp into the small place.

"Jethro!" Jenny squealed once again as he placed her down on the blow up mattress that was in the middle of the tent attacking her sides where she was the most ticklish. It was information that was in the 'need to know' category, the places where Jenny Shepard was ticklish. "Stop, please stop!"

"What was that Jen? Couldn't hear you."

"Mercy! Mercy! Stop!"

Gibbs shook his head using his mouth to attack her in other places using it as a transition from his tickles. He started kissing down her neck stopping at the places he knew turned her on. He heard her moan and knew he accomplished his mission.


"Still want me to stop?" he asked her with a smirk on his face.

"Don't you dare," she replied panting flipping them over on the queen size blow up mattress.

"As you wish, Madam."

"Director?" McGee said snapping Jenny out of memory lane. "Are you okay, Ma'am?"

"Fine," Jenny said letting her squirming daughter out of her arms. "Just blanked out for a minute."

"Do you want me to get Gibbs?" McGee questioned her knowing that if anything happened to the Director and he knew something about it before hand, there'd be hell to pay.

"No, Tim. Thank you."

"If you say so, Ma'am."

"Tim," Jenny called out to his retreating form. "Right now, it's Jenny or Jen. None of that Director stuff. We're off duty."

"Yes Ma—Jenny," McGee said correcting himself and blushing along the way.

"Good, now go watch my daughter for me."

McGee scrambled to help Jemma who had fallen on her face trying to run after the bubbles that Ziva had started blowing into the air to entertain the little girl. The fireworks wouldn't be for another couple of hours and she needed something to entertain herself with other than Tony, what better was spending quality time with her Goddaughter?

"You okay?" Gibbs said coming up behind her letting Tony handle the grill for a while.

"I'm fine Jethro," she said shrugging his concern off. He was always like that with her now-a-days, ever since they had started this new relationship. Even their play fights, he was gentle with her, always aware what would and what wouldn't hurt her. Sometimes it just pissed her off to eternity but mostly she just found it endearing that the big bad Marine/investigator would be her big cuddle bear.

"Is there something you're hiding from me?" Gibbs questioned her.

"Why would you think that?"

"You're acting like you're hiding something.

"I'm not Jethro," Jenny replied. "We talked about this. We weren't going to hide things from each other."

"I know, but my gut –"

"Enough with that famous gut. It can be wrong sometimes, Jethro."

"Almost never," Gibbs corrected her. "Only time it was wrong was when it said you didn't love me back."

"See?" Jenny said with a smile giving him a short but passionate peck on the mouth. It wasn't that she wasn't a big fan of PDA; it was just that children were all around them and they tended to get carried away. They still weren't over the honeymoon phase of the relationship after almost three years into it. She was thankful for that though. "Your gut could be very wrong sometimes. I love you. A lot. You know that."

"Yep," Gibbs said smiling down at her watching as their daughter jump in the small pool that they had been able to set up to entertain her until the night when the fireworks would be displayed from the harbor. They had a few yards to themselves with Jenny's security and their family all around them. She had been able to pull that much string to let them stay there and it be protected. After all, her life was threatened wherever she went and it was only something that was required. Her protection detail, and their family deserved.

As the day wore on and the sun set in the west, families started to gather all around the little picnic blankets that were on the floor ready to watch the fireworks that would be on in a few hours. They all had spread out their blankets and put on cardigans and jackets to help keep them warm since the nights seemed to be a little colder. It was welcome though.

Jemma Gibbs was one of the first people to be laying spread on her new picnic blanket. She was looking up at the sky slowly being lit by stars. One by one. There weren't many because the light of the stars competed with the light that was all around her on the lampposts and the city but she was still able to make out some of them.

"Dada! Twinkle Twinkle!" Jemma said making the 'twinkle 'twinkle' action with her hands.

"You should sing it for your uncles and aunts."

"Otay," Jemma replied smiling her toothy grin at them. She cleared her throat for a moment before starting up again making the adults around her chuckle. Then it was complete silence as she started singing her favorite nighttime song. "Twinkle Twinkle little staw. How I wanda what you awe. UP 'bove wol so hi, lite a dimamon in the sty. Twinkle Twinkle little staw. How I wondr what you awe."

Everyone around her applauded around her. Whispered of how she was cute and how that was endearing was heard all around the people who were watching.

Suddenly the fireworks show began and silence filled the air as the first hit the air spreading light all around the sky.

"Make a wish Jems," Gibbs whispered in his daughter's ear.

"I wish, I be a big sista!" Jemma exclaimed snuggling up to her mother and father.

Jenny leant over Jemma to Gibbs. "Her wish came true."

Gibbs's head snapped away from the fireworks and straight to Jenny's eyes trying to see if she was lying or not. The bright sparkle in her eye and the warm smile said it all.

He was going to be a dad again. What a great Fourth of July it has been.