Title: Icing Orchid

Author: Mrs Elizabeth Gibbs

Rating: K+

When Jenny Shepard woke up on the morning of February 14th, the first thing she noticed was the sunshine.

The bright rays of golden sun filtered in through the curtains, touching her face as she stretched, rolling from her side on to her back. Tilting her head, she smiled at the man still asleep next to her, rolling onto her left side so that she faced him. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep.

Before she could blink, she was pulled closer to him, her nose brushing his. He pecked her lips briefly before pulling away, his signature smirk on his face.

"You know I can't sleep when you stare at me Jen," he said, laughter in his deep voice.

She rolled her eyes, tangling her legs with him and drawing him closer.

"How long?" she asked, knowing he'd understand her meaning without further explanation.

"I give her three minutes," he replied, dipping his head to kiss the exposed hollow of her throat. She murmured in agreement, tilting her head back to give him access. His kisses were gentle, sweet, very much unlike him. She'd blame in on the fact that it was early.

Two minutes and fifty five seconds later, the sound of pattering feet sounded in the hallway, and their bedroom door was flung open by a giggling four year old. Said four year old sprinted across the room and jumped into her parent's bed, bouncing all the while as she continued to giggle.

"Wake up Mommy and Daddy!" Adrienne Marie giggled, bouncing on her dad's lap, her big green eyes filled with happiness. Gibbs caught her, bringing her between Jenny and himself, where they both tickled her relentlessly as she twisted and turned, her auburn curls brushing the pillows. "Stop, stop please!"

"I don't know Jethro, should we stop?" Jenny asked, a teasing glint her eyes as she flicked them between Gibbs and their daughter.

"Ah, Jen, let's give her a break," Gibbs said, withdrawing his fingers and kissing his daughter's forehead, brushing back her scattered curls. Adrienne giggled again, curling into her mom's side. Jenny wrapped an arm around her daughter, running her fingers through the silky curls.

"Good morning sweetheart," Jenny said, watching as Adrienne's eyes brightened, the green eyes becoming an emerald.

"Mommy, can we go sledding today?" Adrienne asked, putting her fingers together and tucking them under her chin, widening her eyes to puppy dog eyes.

"Hey, what makes you think that Mommy gets to decide?" Gibbs asked, folding his arms as he pretended to pout, laughing internally as Adrienne immediately came over to him, hugging him.

"Because Mommy's the boss, that's why Daddy!" Adrienne explained. Jenny struggled to muffle her laughter, turning her face into her pillow as Gibbs struggled to answer.

"Well Mommy's the boss at work, Aid," Gibbs said, watching as Jenny shook her head, quirking up an eyebrow.

"No, Mommy's the boss all the time," Adrienne said, shaking her head purposefully. "She said so."

"Oh?" Gibbs asked, raising an eyebrow at his lover, who rolled her eyes. "And who did she say that to?"

"To Uncle Fornell," Adrienne said, shrugging her shoulders. "When he brought Emily over to play."

"Really?" Gibbs asked, sending a pointed look to Jenny. "Well, then I guess Mommy will have to decide if we go sledding or not."

"I think it's a great idea Aid," Jenny said, smiling at her daughter. "It isn't supposed to be too cold, and the snow hill looked like it was all set for sledding."

"Can we go now Mommy?" Adrienne asked, missing her dad roll his eyes at her eagerness.

"How about we eat breakfast first Adrienne?" Jenny asked, ruffling her daughter's hair playfully.

"Well, okay. Daddy can you make pancakes?" Adrienne asked, turning to Gibbs and pouting out her lips, her big green eyes begging.

"Oh, you want me to do something now?" Gibbs asked, teasing his daughter.

"Well Mommy always burns the pancakes Daddy. You make them really good, and you add chocolate chips too!" Adrienne said, bouncing slightly on the bed.

"When does Daddy do that?" Jenny asked, looking pointedly at her lover, who suddenly took an interest in the bedspread.

"When you work in the big computer room," Adrienne answered, turning to look at her mom. "On the weekends. We sleep in sometimes, and he makes pancakes with chocolate chips in them!"

"Well aren't you a lucky little girl?" Jenny asked, tweaking her daughter's nose playfully. "Why don't you and Daddy go downstairs and start the pancakes? I'll be down in a little while."

"Okay Mommy," Adrienne said, sliding off the bed and tugging on her dad's hand. "Come on Daddy let's go! If we start them now, we can have them ready when Mommy comes downstairs!"

Gibbs rolled his eyes, looking over at Jenny before standing. He questioned her with his eyes, and she merely smiled, shaking her head.

"I'm fine, I promise," she said softly, watching as Adrienne bounded out of the room. "I just need a moment. Go follow her, or she'll break something."

"Yes ma'am," Gibbs mocked, saluting her. She rolled her eyes, slipping out of bed and heading into the bathroom, looking in the mirror and splashing some cold water on her face, drying it and brushing her teeth, removing the taste of sleep from her mouth.

She padded downstairs after pulling on Gibbs' old USMC hoodie, the one that completely swamped her. She walked into the kitchen, assaulted with the smell of fresh pancakes and melted chocolate.

"Mommy I picked out your pancake all by myself!" Adrienne proclaimed the second she saw her mom, running over to her and tugging at her pant leg. "Daddy made them and I got to pick out which ones were yours!"

"Then I'm sure they'll be delicious baby," Jenny said, kissing the top of her daughter's head. While she wasn't a big fan of chocolate early in the morning, she could deal with it for Adrienne. The four year old was truthfully the best thing Jenny had ever done, and she knew Gibbs couldn't agree more. Adrienne was their whole world.

"I didn't put too many chocolate chips in yours, Jen," Gibbs whispered in her hair when she poured herself a cup of coffee, one hand pressing lightly into her waist. She whispered her thanks in return, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before returning to the table, sitting next to her already syrup-covered daughter.

"Aid, you're already messy!" she said, wiping Adrienne's cheek as she rolled her eyes.

"They taste really good Mommy," Adrienne said, sticking a forkful of pancakes into her mouth, smearing chocolate on her lips.

"I'm sure they are," Jenny said, cutting up her pancakes into neat squares and then pouring a small amount of syrup on top of them. Spearing a few pieces on her fork, she munched on the sweet breakfast food as she watched her lover cook the rest, finally bringing over a plate and fixing himself some as well. Jenny merely rolled her eyes as Gibbs placed a few of the chocolate pancakes on his own plate. No one save herself and Adrienne knew about his sweet tooth.

"Mommy, Mommy can we please go sledding now?" Adrienne asked twenty minutes later, bouncing in her chair as she hit the table with her sticky palms. Jenny rolled her eyes, wiping her mouth with her napkin and setting her fork down on her now-empty plate.

"After you take a bath Adrienne," Jenny said, bringing their plates over to the sink and filling it with warm, soapy water, starting to wash them. Gibbs came up behind her, sliding his plate into the water and pressing a soft kiss to the back of her neck.

"I'll start the water for her," he said, watching her nod gratefully as she scrubbed the syrup off of Adrienne's plate.

"Thank you," she said, shooting him a smile as she set the plate in the drying rack. "I'll take over once I finish here."

Gibbs nodded before going over to Adrienne and scooping her up, swinging her up over his shoulder as she giggled and bringing her upstairs, her giggles filling the house.

Jenny liked that her house was filled with the laughs of her little girl now, instead of the silence that had once inhabited it.

She finished the dishes swiftly, drying her hands on a dish towel and then heading upstairs, hearing Adrienne's squeals and Jethro's rumbling laughter. Walking into the bathroom, she encountered a bubble-covered four year old, and an ex-Marine who was just a sudsy. She raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

"I thought Adrienne was getting the bath," she said, biting back a laugh. "I did not expect to find you covered in bubbles, Jethro."

"I didn't intend to get covered in bubbles, Jen," Gibbs replied, standing and wiping at the suds covering his torso. "Adrienne covered me."

"Mommy, Daddy looked like Santa!" Adrienne said happily, bringing a group of bubbles to her lips and blowing, scattering them everywhere.

"Aid, the point of a bath is to get clean, not cover Daddy in bubbles," Jenny told her daughter, taking the seat that Gibbs had just vacated. "You've got to hurry up, sweetheart, if you want to go sledding."

"Okay Mommy," Adrienne said, suddenly all business. "Can you help me with my hair?"

"Sure Aid," Jenny said, nodding. "Jethro, if you get ready now, then you can watch her while I get ready."

Gibbs merely nodded, leaving his daughter and lover giggling together in the bathroom as he searched for warm clothing. Twenty minutes later, a clean-smelling Adrienne came out, wrapped in a towel, while Gibbs pulled on his thick socks. While Gibbs took Adrienne to get dressed in her warm things, Jenny took the time to take a quick shower, getting dressed in old jeans and a thick long-sleeved shirt and sweatshirt.

Soon after that, they were on their way to the snow hill not far from the house, an old blue plastic sled in the back of the truck. Adrienne hummed along happily with the Disney cassette in the player, while Gibbs easily parked the truck and got Adrienne out, swinging her up onto his hip as he walked to the back of the truck.

Jenny pulled out the sled, following Gibbs and Adrienne up the hill, tugging the sled along by the white string. There weren't many people on the hill, only one other family. One father slid down with two small boys, their giggles filling the air as they slid to the bottom, where they ran off to tug at their mother's legs.

When they reached the top of the hill, Gibbs set Adrienne down, whose eyes were shining happily as she waited to sled down the hill. Jenny got in the sled first, pulling Adrienne into her lap, settling her comfortably before motioning for Gibbs to get in behind her. He slid in behind her, letting her rest comfortably against his chest. He pushed them off, gaining momentum as they slid down the hill.

Adrienne squealed happily as they moved, snuggling back into her mom's embrace as they reached the bottom. Gibbs held both of them securely, enjoying their happiness. It wasn't often they had the day to spend as a family, and he was just glad to be with his girls.

Stepping out, he helped Adrienne and Jenny up, touching Adrienne's cold, wind-reddened cheeks.

"Ready to go again Aid?" he asked, watching as his daughter grinned.

"Yes please Daddy!" Adrienne said, tugging on his hand as she started to climb the hill again. Jenny and Gibbs followed, slowly realizing that the hill was going to feel a lot bigger than it actually was by the time Adrienne was done sledding.

They continued to sled for the next hour, finally deciding the cold was too much, and the hill was too big for them to climb again. Adrienne was sated and happy, her green eyes a little sleepy looking as Gibbs strapped her into her car seat.

"Mommy?" Adrienne asked as Gibbs started the car, about to head home.

"Yes sweetheart?" Jenny asked, twisting in her seat to look at her daughter.

"Can we go to that place with the warm cookies we went to with Auntie Ziva?" Adrienne asked, a hopeful smile on her tiny face. Jenny internally caved, unable to say no.

"Sure, we can stop for a cookie Adrienne," Jenny said, watching as Gibbs turned towards the correct street, finding 'Insomnia Cookies' bakery easily. They all stepped out, Gibbs easily swinging Adrienne up onto his hip, the other hand resting on Jenny's lower back.

The bakery was warm, the air sugary and sweet. Lines of cookies sat on trays, waiting to be picked. Adrienne drew her face out of her dad's neck, eyes widening as she encountered all the cookies.

"Mommy, can I get the cookie that looked like Cookie Monster again?" Adrienne asked, twisting to look at her mom.

"If they have it Aid," Jenny said, spotting the cookie with a tiny sigh of relief. They walked up to the counter, and Jenny ordered the Cookie Monster cookie for Adrienne, which was brought to her, warm, on a napkin.

"Do you know what you want, Jethro?" Jenny asked, unsure as to what she wanted.

"Haven't decided yet," he said, shrugging as he watched his daughter devour her cookie. "I'll order your cookie, Jen."

Jenny raised an eyebrow, but didn't question him as he stood and walked over to the counter, taking quite a long time to order a simple cookie. He walked back with two cookies five minutes later, placing hers in front of her.

On a plain sugar cookie was an orchid, her favorite flower- the flower that symbolized love, strength, and beauty- drawn in pink icing. The detail was surprisingly intricate for frosting, and Jenny smiled, touched by the gesture.

"Happy Valentine's Day Jenny," Gibbs said, squeezing her hand across the counter. She flipped her hand over, intertwining their fingers.

"Happy Valentine's Day Jethro," she replied, squeezing his fingers.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Adrienne said, blue frosting covering her cheeks and fingers. Jenny and Gibbs laughed, shaking their heads.

They'd had the perfect Valentine's Day together.