Hey Lovelies! I would apologize about the cliffhanger last chapter but I'm not really sorry, and lying is a bad habit. Anyway, I promised that seven would come quickly, so here you go. Chapter 7, Enjoy!

Chapter 7 – Orders, Tears and Confessions

"Hold your fire!" The order came crisp and clear from the middle of the chaos and Jethro had never been so happy to hear her pissed off before. Immediately recognizing the voice the NCIS team had stopped firing and headed forward.

Jen was getting to her knees as they came rushing up to her. She looked over at the man that had fallen right behind her. Tony's bullet had found its mark on Benoit's chest. She wouldn't believe that he was gone until she saw it for herself.

A small smile graced her hardened features as she sighed. It wasn't how she had wanted this to end. She would have loved the chance to shoot the bastard herself, but she would take what she could get.

Ziva reached her first. "Jenny!" She pulled her knife from her belt and cut the redhead's hands free of their binding.

Tony took her by the elbows and slowly helped her to her feet. "Are you okay?"

Jen gave herself a once over before she turned to smile at them both. "I'm alright. A few scratches, some bumps and bruises. I'm pretty sure that my cheek is sporting an awesome bruise, but no bullet holes."

"You scared the hell out of me Director." His voice came from behind Tony and Ziva and the two stepped apart so that he could get to Jenny. Ziva smiled at his formal tone, he was warning her that even after this entire ordeal they were still at work.

Jen let the tears that she had been holding back escape as she nodded. "I apologize Agent Gibbs. Next time I get kidnapped and beaten I will make sure that I tell you so you don't have to worry."

He chuckled and reached his hand out towards her. When she took it he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug and held her tightly against him. "DiNozzo!"

The younger man turned back from where he and Ziva had started to walk away. "Yeah Boss?"

"Call somebody out here and have them collect the bodies. Take them back to Ducky, he won't need an in the field check this time, we know what happened. I want any of the Marines left alive locked in our interrogation rooms and we will deal with them later."

"Got it Boss." Tony and Ziva turned away, he pulling out his phone and she determining who was dead and who was just wounded. McGee was guarding the Marine that was still in the passenger seat of the car that Tony had driven.

When the team's footsteps trailed away Jen shifted her head so that her chin was resting on Jethro's chest and she was looking up into his eyes. "Thank you for saving me."

"Always Jen."

"No, Jethro, this time it was different." She smiled, and he could see there were unspoken words in her eyes. The tears carving paths down her cheeks were a good indicator that something else was going on as well.

He pulled back away from her so that he could actually look at her. "What's wrong Jen?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing is wrong." She glanced over her shoulder and determined that they were as close to alone as they were going to get out here. "I love you Jethro."

Her confession takes him aback for a second. He knew that she loved him that she had never stopped loving him all these years, but there was an unspoken rule between them. They never said the words out loud. It made it too real, too dangerous. They both had too many enemies.

The rules were there for a reason. They didn't show affection in public, they didn't say 'I Love You' they were careful, cautious. He stood there looking at her for a long moment, tears swimming in her emerald eyes as he stared at her.

"Jethro…" She started to pull away from him. "I'm sorry. I know that I shouldn't have said that. We never have, I just,"

He put two fingers gently over her lips, silencing any further self-doubt from her. He smiled when she glared up at him. "Shut up Jen." He pulled her in close once again and pressed his lips to the top of her head.

Standing there in the middle of that front yard, surrounded by blood and the bodies of her captors he broke his own rules. Without lifting his lips out of her hair he whispered, "I love you too."

Her tears were soaking through his shirt, but neither one of them seemed to mind. He held her close while he watched his team carried out the orders that he had given them. No one spoke until they heard the sirens of the ambulance headed towards them. When it got there Jethro led Jen over to it and released her, reluctantly, into the hands of the paramedics.

He went to go help his team as the paramedics patched her up and gave her some water. She was dehydrated, shaky, and definitely sporting some pretty severe bruises, but other than that the paramedics determined that she was fine. They wanted to take her to the hospital to be check over more thoroughly, but she adamantly refused.

"I'm not going." She stepped down out of the back of the truck and glared at the young men trying to convince her to go to the hospital. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm not going to the hospital. A doctor will check me out, I promise. Just not one of your doctors."

They looked at each other for a moment before the superior of the two finally nodded to her. "That's fair ma'am. We are going to suggest that you don't spend the night alone though. If anything were to develop throughout the evening you need someone there with you."

"She won't be alone." Gibbs walked up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I will take responsibility for getting her home and getting her checked out."

"Of course sir." A nod to Gibbs told him that he could take Jenny with him.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and started off down the street to where he had left the second car earlier. He turned to look over his shoulder, "Ziva!" The Israeli woman turned to face him. "Stay with Tony and get this all sorted away. I'm going to take Jen back to Georgetown."

Ziva nodded and Gibbs led an exhausted Shepard away from the scene. "Come on Jen. I'll take you home."

She nodded and allowed him to help her into the car before he climbed in the driver's side and headed off down the street towards her brownstone. They rode in silence, completely comfortable in each other's presence without any words. Halfway to Georgetown Gibbs looked to the side, planning on breaking the silence.

He smiled when he saw that she had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. A peaceful smile on her lips, and her bruised cheek resting on the seatbelt that was holding her upright. He reached across the small space between them and took her hand in his. He had wanted to tell her again that he loved her; now that he had finally said the words out loud he wanted to taste them again.

Jenny stirred only when she felt the car slow to a stop. He tried to shut the door quietly when he got out, but by the time that he had made it around her side she was awake. "Hey." She smiled sleepily at him. "Sorry I wasn't much company."

"That's alright Jen. You've had a pretty stressful day." He let her lean on him as he took her spare key from where it was hidden and unlocked the door.

Once they made it inside Jen took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You have no idea."

He kissed her lips for the first time since they had rescued her. The first time he could hold her and truly feel her. Know that she was alive, and okay. That she wasn't going anywhere. When he finally broke free of her he tapped the end of her nose with his finger and kissed her cheek.

"Señora!" They heard Naomi come rushing in from the kitchen and Jenny smiled. "Oh. Señor Gibbs, I didn't know that you were here too." She looked back and forth between them as they were still standing with their arms around each other's waists. "You are home late Jennifer, where have you been?"

She took in the state of Jenny's cheek and her bandages and other bruises. "Did you get in a fight Señora?"

"I was kidnapped earlier," Naomi started to interrupt but Jen cut her off. "It's alright, they saved me, and the man that killed my father is finally finished."

"Señora you didn't…"

"No," She shook her head, "It wasn't me. And at first I was upset about that, but now it doesn't matter. He is dead, and I will never have to worry about him again."

"I'm glad." The older woman smiled at the two of them and ducked her head. "I will make you something to eat."

"Thank you Naomi." Jen called after her as she disappeared down the hall. Gibbs started to pull away from her and move back to the door. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Home Jen." He laughed.

"I don't think so. You heard the paramedics, I shouldn't be left alone tonight." Her eyes were sparkling in the low light of the hallway.

"Jen, I don't think…" She cut his words off with a soft kiss.

"Stay Jethro…"