A/n: Hey there, everybody, looks like you're getting quite a few things from me this week. Here's the long-awaited Chapter 7 for TGS!

7. Birthday

"Director Shepard, Officer David is here to see you. She says it's urgent."

Jenny looked up, the creases of a frown appearing on her forehead. She reached over and hit the intercom. "Send her in, Cynthia."

Ziva slipped in the office door, looking exhausted. "Hello, Jenny."

Ah. So this was to be a personal visit, then. She took her glasses off, setting her pen down on top of the budget file she had been perusing. "There something wrong, Ziva?"

"The case…it has been extremely difficult." The Israeli sank down in one of the conference table chairs, running a hand over her face wearily, before meeting Jenny's gaze head-on. "Especially for Gibbs."

Jenny's frown deepened as she stood up from her desk, moving over to the chair next to Ziva, turning to face the liaison officer. If she remembered correctly, the MCRT's current case was a few days old. A Marine Staff Sergeant had been killed in a car crash, and a reconstruction of the accident site by Abby and McGee had proved that it most definitely was not an accident. She hadn't received an update since Ducky's autopsy report the day before stating that the Marine had been shot before the crash occurred. "You having difficulty finding leads?"

Ziva's face twisted in a wry smile. "We found a few leads, but not before the Staff Sergeant's daughter was killed in another accident. McGee and Abby found evidence of a stalker in Deborah Michaels' laptop. We believe this man thought if he eliminated Deborah's family, she would be available to date him. We caught him a few hours ago, and he confessed to everything, but…" Her gaze flickered up to meet Jenny's. "Gibbs is not taking this well. I believe he thinks that the girl's death is his fault, because of his experiences with Shannon and Kelly."

Jenny's eyes widened. "Oh no." She hadn't picked up on his mood; they had barely seen each other this week. She had been stuck in MTAC all week supervising overseas operations, and he had taken J.J. to Stillwater to visit Jack the last weekend they had free. "Where is he?"

"He yelled at Tony for playing around in the bullpen and then left for coffee." Ziva's mouth twisted in another wry smile as Jenny raised her eyebrows. "Tony was attempting to take some of the heat off of McGee. We have not seen Gibbs for a few hours now, and he is not answering his cell phone. Tony went to pick Jake up from school after the headmaster called. You were in MTAC."

"Jethro is missing, and you choose to wait until now to tell me?"

Ziva ignored the rebuke, crossing her arms over her chest. "McGee traced his cell phone; he is in Arlington Cemetery visiting Shannon and Kelly's graves." She paused for a moment, her eyes flashing sadly. "I just returned from there. It does not look like he is planning on leaving anytime soon. Jake is with Tony and McGee in the gym. We thought maybe you could go talk to Gibbs."

"Jesus…" She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose sharply. "He didn't say anything, and I haven't had a chance to look over the reports. I didn't even know. Could you three keep an eye on Jake? I think I probably better go find Jethro."

The Israeli nodded. "Tim told Jake that he was going to spend the night at his apartment, and we are going to take him to the movies after work, we figured that was the best way to distract him."

Jenny nodded distractedly, already gathering her things to leave. "Thank you, you guys are a big help. I'll take care of Gibbs; you guys take a long weekend. Just tell Tim to drop Jake off sometime tomorrow morning." She walked out of the office followed by Ziva, telling Cynthia that she would be gone for the rest of the day as they passed by.

A cold, dry wind wound its way through the graves and tombs in Arlington National Cemetery as Jenny and her detail pulled up. Melvin assisted her out of the car, walking a respectful distance behind her as she made her way along the footpaths, consulting a slip of paper in her hand.

She wound her way through the cemetery in silence, focused on finding the specific section where Jethro's deceased wife and daughter were interred, slowing and quieting her steps as she came up on the two graves.

Jethro sat on the grass directly in front of the graves, his shoulders hunched against the cold. He rested his elbows on his raised knees, holding his head in his hands. Jenny took his forgotten overcoat from Melvin, gently slipping it around his hunched shoulders, thanking the fact that she had chosen to wear slacks rather than a skirt today as she carefully crouched by his side. "Jethro?"

"I messed up, Jen." His voice was hoarse, barely hiding a choked back sob as he spoke. "I didn't even think that his wife might have a stalker. I didn't think…I made a stupid assumption, and now that little girl's dead, and that woman has to live the rest of her life without her husband and daughter...I…God, Jen, what sort of sick bastard even does that? Wh—why did he…" His voice cracked sharply at the end, cutting off his sentence. "I—I can't…I failed that little girl and her mother, j—just like Sh—Shan…Shannon and K-Kelly…"

Jenny bit her lip, sliding down to the ground next to him, her arm winding around his shoulders to tug his head down to rest against hers, murmuring softly into his ear. "It's alright, Jethro, just let it out…"

They sat there a while, his shoulders shaking with muffled sobs while Jenny rubbed his back with one hand, speaking softly into his hair. His sobs finally quieted and he seemed to collect himself, sitting up and drawing in a slightly shaky breath, scrubbing a hand across his eyes. He started to speak, clearing his throat after the first attempt and trying again. "I didn't mean for you to see me like this, Jen."

Her mouth quirked in a half smile as she continued to run her hand up and down his back slowly, the touch soothing. "It is acceptable for you to show a little emotional attachment sometimes, Jethro, heaven knows we all have at one time or another. I'm sorry I didn't notice how the case was affecting you earlier than I did." She flashed him a small smile when he glanced over at her, his eyes suspiciously bright. "Tell me about them…tell me about Kelly." She gestured to the headstone, attempting to distract him. "What was she like?"

"Kel was…she was the cutest little girl you'd ever seen. Shan used to joke that she had me wrapped around her little finger from the day she was born. I always said she got Shannon's looks, but there was no denying she had my eyes." He smiled, tracing the thin silver bracelet on his left wrist. "She gave this to me, for my birthday right before I shipped out for the last tour. She always made me one of those little friendship bracelet thingys when I went off on tours, but they never lasted, so she said this one was sure not to fall off."

Jenny smiled, taking his hand and interlocking their fingers. "Looks like she was right, it never did fall off."

Jethro nodded, squeezing her hand lightly. They sat in silence, each of them content to stay in the company of the other for a while. He glanced up after a while, hearing someone approach the graves along the footpath to his right.

Gibbs stood, brushing off his trousers carefully as he helped Jenny up, careful to keep her behind him as the visitor appeared in sight, a young blonde haired woman wearing a Georgetown University hoodie and jeans. She slowed as she noticed the couple standing by the graves, her green eyes flashing in recognition. "Mister Gibbs?"

He blinked, surprised. "Yeah…who're you?"

The girl glanced at Kelly's grave and smiled faintly, jamming her hand in the pocket of her jeans. "Maddie Tyler. I was—am Kelly's best friend. We lived two…" The rest of her sentence was cut off as Jethro spoke up, his eyes flickering in recognition.

"Two houses down the street. Your dad was in my unit in Afghanistan. Jason Tyler, right? Staff Sergeant Tyler."

Maddie's smile faded slightly. "Yeah…he, ah, he died last year. They moved down to Florida after I started school here." She slipped her hands into the front pocket of her hoodie, gazing at Kelly's grave again, shrugging her shoulders self-consciously. "Once I found out they were buried here, I tried to come out a few times a year to visit, say hey to Kelly."

Gibbs blinked rapidly a few times, clearing his throat, his voice rough with emotion. "She would have liked that." He seemed to remember Jenny standing slightly behind him for the first time, coughing awkwardly as he moved to slip his arm around her waist. "Sorry, this is my gi—um, friend, Jen."

She smiled politely and stepped forward to shake Maddie's hand, nodding appreciatively at her hoodie. "Nice to meet you, Maddie. Good school you've got there, I graduated from there a while back."

Maddie's bright green eyes flickered over Jenny and then Melvin, still standing at attention ten yards away. "Oh, er, thanks. I…I was wondering, are you Jenny Shepard? The new Director of NCIS?"

"Ah, you caught me." Jenny laughed softly, shrugging one shoulder. "We, ah, try to keep that quiet around here, you know?"

"Of course, not a problem, ma'am. It's an honor to meet you, though, really. My friends will be jealous." Maddie's eyes flashed in amusement as she shook Jenny's hand again, the corner of her mouth turning up in a slight smile. "You've been the subject of some heated debates in my World Pol. Seminar."

Jenny smiled faintly, shrugging her shoulders depreciatingly. "Ah, I'm not that big of a deal, really."

"As if! You're the first female director of an armed federal agency, and the youngest by four years. You've opened up a ton of windows for women around the world, ma'am." Maddie shook her head vehemently at Jenny's protest. "You're hero to a lot of girls around here, showing we can do anything."

She flushed bright red, glancing off to the side. "Well, uh…glad to hear that I'm such a celebrity."

Maddie smiled, shaking Jenny's hand again as she glanced at her watch. "I, um, I have to get going, I've got to be into work in an hour." She stepped forward to give Jethro a gentle hug. "It was nice to see you again, Mr. Gibbs."

Gibbs smiled slightly, squeezing her shoulders as they stepped back. "Good to see you too, kiddo." He reached into his jacket, pulling out a card. "Here, uh, here's my card. You, uh, you keep in touch, maybe come over and visit sometime."

"Of course!" She slipped the card in her front pocket as she walked away, stopping suddenly and pulling something else out of her pocket. "Oh. Here. I was…I was going to leave this for Kelly, but…I think maybe it'll do better for you."

He reached out, taking a worn and wrinkled photograph from her outstretched hand. A young Kelly Gibbs and Maddie Tyler were sprawled across a younger looking Gibbs in fatigues, all three laughing at the camera. He smiled, swallowing hard as he looked back up at Maddie, tears shining in his eyes. "Thanks."

Maddie merely nodded in response, turning with a small wave as she left. "See you around, Gunny. Nice to meet you, Director."

Jenny smiled and waved as the college student walked off, wisely giving Gibbs a moment to collect himself. She turned back as she heard him clearing his throat, glancing back up at her with a watery smile.

Jet managed a half-laugh. "Damn, I've gone and ruined my rep all in one go, crying all over the place like some sap in a romance movie."

She shook her head sharply, taking his hands in hers and looking him straight in the eye. "Hey, now…none of that, Jethro. It is okay to cry, occasionally. I know this case got to you, and I understand that. You didn't ruin your 'rep' because I saw you crying." She grinned, moving over to slip her arm around his waist, nudging him in the ribs gently. "You're still the big badass Marine who's got a soft spot for redheads and kids."

"I do not have a soft spot for redheads and kids!"

Jenny smirked and raised her eyebrow, staring him down calmly until he acknowledged her point with a grumble. "C'mon, we'll head back home and have a nice long night off, alright? Jake is with the team, having a fun night out at the movies, and he's staying at McGee's for the night."

They walked back to the car together, his hand resting gently on her lower back, the worn picture gripped in his other hand.

"Jethro, stop thinking." Her sleepy mumble roused him from his musings a few hours later. They both lay on the bed, her slim form wrapped around his with her head resting against his chest.

"How'd you…"

"Your shoulders are all tense. You only do that when you're thinking about something. Stop it." Jenny lifted her head off his chest, treating him with a sleepy glare.

Jet blew out a long sigh, shifting around enough to sit up. "I can't." He shifted again to accommodate her as she sat up, moving to rest her back against his chest.

"Okay…well, then, tell me what you're thinking. Talk."

He glanced down at his lap, reaching over to pick up her hand, where he sat and stared at the differences between his callused hands and her smooth ones. "Are you happy?"

"What?" Jenny glanced over at him sharply, her eyebrows contracting in a confused stare.

"Are you happy, with…this. Us." He lifted their joined hands, gesturing between the two of them.

"What the hell sort of question is that? Of course I'm happy, Jethro." She tilted her head at him, squeezing his hand lightly. "Why? Do you think I'm unhappy?"

"I just…I'm not the ideal guy for the first female Director of an armed Federal Agency to be dating. I mean, I've been divorced three times, I don't play politics well, I've never gotten along with the press, I've-." He was silenced by her hand coming up to cover his mouth.

"Jethro." She glared at him, the corners of her mouth turned down in a frown. "Shut. Up." She lifted up their joined hands to his chest, poking him sharply with both as she spoke. "I am happy with you, and with Jake. I am happy with the fact that you're not some ass-grabbing Senator from Capitol Hill. I. Am. Happy. Stop this ridiculous 'I'm not good enough for you' nonsense. I honestly don't give a damn what anyone thinks of us. I'm happy, I assume you're happy, and Jake's happy. That's all that matters to me, Jethro. I'm done with all that five-point plan bull. This is where I want to be."

He blinked at her a few times, letting out a content sigh when she removed her hand from his mouth to kiss him, pulling back after a moment. "You really are happy with us?"

"Yes, Jethro. I'm happy here with you. I love you. All that other stuff, that takes second place to us, and Jake." Jenny squeezed his hand tightly, giving him a reassuring smile and another kiss. "Now would you stop worrying, please?"

He smiled tentatively back, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of her hand. "One more question."

She rolled her eyes but nodded, snuggling into his side further. "Alright, shoot."

"D'you want to get married?" He winced, realizing that he hadn't exactly phrased it well. "I—I mean, would you want to get married. For your job."

Jenny raised both eyebrows, sitting up and moving around so she sat facing him. "Is that was this is all about? This whole talk about us, and me being happy?"

Suddenly, he seemed to grow extremely interested with the patterns on the bedspread in his lap. "Erm…yeah, sort of."

"I see. So, you're afraid that our relationship is affecting my position as Director."

Jet fidgeted with a small hole in the sheets, still staring at his lap. "Well…yeah."

Jenny smiled, reaching out to tilt his face up to look at her. "It's not. SecNav already knows, and said as long as we keep it out of the office, he's fine with it."

His eyebrows raised, a surprised look flashing across his face. "I…what?"

"I told him, when I had to go through and change the next of kin on my file. Told him about Jake, too." She laughed softly at the surprise on his face. "Jethro…it is sweet that you worried enough about this to consider marriage all over again just for the sake of my job, but we're safe. It's okay. I'm not going to lose my position because we're dating."

"But what if I want to get married?" He winced sharply as he blurted the words out without thinking, snapping his mouth shut and quickly looking down again. "Er…just, uh, forget I said that."

"Do you?"

Jet lifted his head to meet her gaze, confusion flashing across his features again. "Do I what?"

"Do you want to marry me?" Jenny's eyes were serious as she stared at him, reaching out to take his hands in hers.

"I—I well…uh…yeah. But, I mean…I don't want you to feel like you have to, I just…" He slowed for a minute, cursing his sudden inability to string a normal sounding thought together. "I don't like sharing you with all those other ass-grabbing tight sphincters up on Capitol Hill. I want them to know you're mine." He winced sharply. "Er…n—not that I think of you as a possession or anything."

Jenny hid a growing smile as she watched him fumble for words, finally silencing him when she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. "So you do want to marry me."

He blinked, glancing down at their joined hands and then up to her eyes. "Yes." He released her hands suddenly, jumping out of bed. "Wait. I'm doing this all wrong." He walked over to the dresser, retrieving something from his top drawer, which he held behind his back as he returned to the side of the bed, going down on one knee and taking her hand in his. "I—I know I'm not good with words, and I know I can be a real bastard sometimes, but…I love you, Jenny, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want a family with you, Jake, the two point four kids, white picket fence, everything." He swallowed heavily, opening up the velvet box in his hands. "Jennifer Elizabeth Shepard, will you marry me?"

Jenny sucked in a sharp breath, staring at the platinum, emerald cut engagement ring nestled in the white box, bringing her free hand up to her mouth. She squeezed his hand tightly, reaching out shakily to take the ring before she lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Yes!"

Jet relaxed visibly, his arms coming up to wrap around her waist, turning his head to press a kiss to her lips. "God, I love you, Jen." He settled back on his heels as she released her hold on his neck, reaching out to take the ring out of her hand to gently slip it on her finger.

She blinked rapidly, staring down at the platinum band on her hand, drawing another shaky breath as she looked at him again. "I—I thought you…I wasn't expe-oh, Jethro, this is perfect."

Jethro moved to sit on the bed next to her, brushing his fingers across her face worriedly. "I didn't mean to make you cry, Jenny."

"Happy tears, Jethro." Jenny laughed, leaning forward to kiss him again, staring at the ring sparkling on her finger resting on his shoulder.

Anthony D. Dinozzo, Jr., prided himself in being able to tell when people were happy because they got laid. Yeah, it was a little bit creepy, but, in his defense, most people were easy to read, especially after they'd well…you know.

He gave his boss an odd look as he, McGee, Ziva, and Abby dropped J.J. off Saturday morning after a fun night filled with movies, popcorn, and mind-rotting video games.

Gibbs appeared at the door wearing flannel pajama pants and nothing else, his normally ordered Marine-grade haircut ruffled and sticking up in quite a few places, as if someone had tangled their fingers in it and pulled, hard. He seemed supremely unconcerned with his state of undress in front of Abby and Ziva, and for some inexplicable reason, probably Jenny, he was actually smiling. Not his usual twitch of the lip, gone so fast you almost didn't see it smile, but a real, genuine smile, with teeth showing. Someone had gotten laid.

He muttered a vague hello to the group, taking Jake's backpack as the almost six year-old scrambled into the house, already running up the stairs to find Jenny. He motioned the team into the house, turning away and heading for the kitchen.

Tony raised his eyebrows at McGee as he saw the scratches running across Gibbs' shoulders, giving Ziva and Abby an almost comical leer. "Dude…the bossman got laid last night."

Abby muffled a giggle while McGee rolled his eyes at Ziva, a faint flush appearing across his cheeks. "I really don't wanna think about that, Tony."

"Don't want to think about what?" Jenny spoke up from the door to the living room, having followed Jake back downstairs.

The computer geek's face went almost fire-engine red as he quickly dropped his gaze away from Jenny's, mumbling as he found an interesting spot on the floor to stare at. "N—Nothing, Director, ma'am."

Jake snorted, disappearing into the kitchen to find his father. Jenny smirked slightly, settling down onto the couch with Abby and Ziva; her hands stuffed in the pockets of another pair of Gibbs' pajama pants, one of his old NIS t-shirts covering her torso. "How was Jake last night? He didn't cause any trouble, did he?"

"No, not at all! Jake's awesome!" Abby bounced in place in her seat, rambling on and on about the movie they viewed. Gibbs and Jake reappeared during the ramble, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen with identical smirks on their faces.

Gibbs finally cleared his throat, catching Abby's attention. "I invited you in because Jenny and I have something to tell you."

"Ohmigosh, you're pregnant!" Abby launched a bone-crushing attack hug on Jenny, squealing excitedly at the top of her voice.

"Abs! Abby! ABBY!" Jenny finally managed to successfully extricate herself from the Goth's formidable grip, standing up from the couch and moving over to stand in front of Gibbs. "I'm not pregnant."

"Oh." The forensic scientist frowned slightly, sitting back on the couch with her arms folded. "Well, then, what were you going to tell us? Is there something wrong? Oh no…you're not going to fire us all are you? That betting pool was totally Tony's idea, me and Timmy and Ziva didn't have anything to do with it, honest, Gibbs!"

"Abby, I believe Jenny and Gibbs are trying to tell us that they are getting married." Ziva's accented voice easily stopped Abby's tirade. The Israeli had been trying her best to conceal a knowing smile the whole time, her dark eyes twinkling as she inclined her head to her boss. "That is correct, yes?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes, nodding as he slipped his arms around Jenny's waist from behind, tugging her back against his chest. Jenny narrowed her eyes at the Mossad Officer, tilting her head back to glare mildly at Gibbs. "You had her size the ring, didn't you?"

He smirked in reply, shrugging one shoulder nonchalantly. "It was either that, or have Jake steal one of your rings when he went up to your office last week."

"So you all conspired against me, then."

"No…me, Jake, an' Ziver did." His answering grin was unrepentant as he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.

Abby, who had been frozen on the couch as she processed through the announcement, finally vaulted out of her seat with a wild squeal, running over to envelop both in a hug. "Ohmigosh, why didn't I think of that? I should have assumed that first, 'cause usually you get married before you have a baby, unless you're getting married beca—." She was silenced as Gibbs calmly reached out and covered her mouth with his hand, giving her a mild glare.

"Congratulations, boss, Director." Tim took advantage of the sudden silence to offer his congratulations, shaking Gibbs' hand and giving Jenny a brief hug. "We're really glad for you guys."

Ziva came next, chuckling softly at the slightly wounded look on Jenny's face, hugging them both. "I could not tell you anything, Jenny, Gibbs and Jake swore me to secrecy. I do expect to be a part of the wedding, though, my friend." She winked, reaching over to ruffle Jake's hair.

"Hey, Boss, I'm gonna be best man 'cause you like me best, right?" Tony flashed a wide grin, his face falling into a pout as Gibbs smirked and shook his head. "Oh…yeah, forgot about Ducky. Well, McGee and I can still be groomsmen, right? I mean, unless you have other friends."

"You'll all be a part of the wedding, Tony." Jenny smiled gently at Tony, accepting the hug he offered.

A half hour later, after much squealing and hugs from Abby, the team finally started to filter back out of the house, offering their congratulations one last time. J.J. had long since disappeared out back with the dog, quickly growing bored of the adult conversation.

"Here, Abs, I'll drop you home, it's on the way to my place anyways." Tony flashed a cheery smile at the Goth, ushering her out the front door and to his car.

"Go on, I'll be out in a minute." McGee waved Ziva off, murmuring something softly in Hebrew to the Israeli before turning back to Jenny and Gibbs.

Jenny noted the quiet exchange between the two agents, glancing up at Gibbs. "You need something, Tim?"

"I, uh…I just wanted to check something." He took a deep breath, focusing his gaze on Gibbs. "Rule Twelve…it's null and void now, right?"

Jethro stared at McGee impassively for a moment, finally tilting his head in a slight nod. "Keep it professional while we're at the office, Tim."

McGee merely nodded in response, his lips quirking up in a half smile. "Got it, Boss. Thanks. I'll uh, see you guys at J.J.'s party."

"Rule Twelve?" Jenny turned in his arms as McGee walked out the door, frowning up at her fiancée. "I'm assuming this isn't the same rule I remember, because it was never assume anything when I worked with you."

He shook his head briefly, lifting a shoulder in a half shrug. "I changed it after Paris. 'Never date a coworker.' It's irrelevant now, you came back." He cringed slightly. "Uh…in hindsight, not one of my better ideas, but I…"

Jenny smiled faintly, reaching up to cover his mouth. "Jethro, I get it. I hurt you when I left, and you naturally didn't want to see any of your team go the same way. It's alright."

He smiled back after a moment, kissing the center of her palm gently.

"Whether it was a good plan or not, I'm coming up with a new rule."

Jake grinned at the large Batman ice cream cake sitting on the kitchen table, waiting for the team and Jackson to finish singing, giggling at Tony and Abby's slightly goofy dancing.

"Okay, Jake, make a wish." Jet slipped an arm around his son's shoulders, smiling happily.

J.J.'s forehead furrowed in concentration as he thought up a wish, leaning forward to blow the six candles out with a huge puff of air.

"Awesome! What'd ya wish for, Jake?" Tony finished his comical dancing, rushing up to the six year old's side.

"I'm not sposta tell, 'Tonio, or it won't come true." He rolled his eyes in response, watching eagerly as Jenny cut the cake. "I want the piece with my name on it. No…wait, I want the piece with Batman on it."

Jenny chuckled, deftly slicing the cake up. "How about you have the one with your name now, and we'll save the Batman piece for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Okie dokes." He took the offered piece of cake, digging in happily. "Can we do presents now? You said we could do presents after the cake."

"Let everyone get some cake first, and then you can open them, alright, J?"

J.J. fidgeted in his seat as he waited patiently for the cake to be served, jumping up as soon as Jenny handed the last plate over to Ducky. "Okay, everyone's got cake, let's go open presents now." He led the charge into the living room, skidding to a stop by the pile of presents sitting near the couch.

"Alright Jake, slow down, the presents aren't gonna go anywhere." Jenny laughed softly, sitting on the couch next to him. "Here, you sit there, and I'll pass them along to you."

He settled down in the center of the room, which soon turned into a war zone of torn wrapping paper, with the new presents strewn around: Nationals Baseball tickets and a ballcap from Tim, a package set of superhero movies from Tony, a Team USA soccer jersey and a new ball from Ziva, iPod and a $30 gift card from Abby, a box set of books from Ducky, and a few "special" presents from Jenny and Jet to be opened later.

"Pretty good haul, J." Jet leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, eyeing the large mound of presents lying around his son.

"Yeah! This is even better than Christmas! Thanks, everybody!" J.J. doled out a round of tight hugs for everyone at the party, thanking them profusely for the presents.

He relaxed back on the floor with Gambit a while later, watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a large bowl of popcorn in his lap. "Dad?"

Gibbs looked up from his place on the couch. Jenny had disappeared upstairs with a stack of reports to review, insisting that she'd watch the movie some other time. "Hm?"

"Can I tell you my wish?"

"Why do ya wanna do that, Jake?"

"'Cause you're the only one who can make it happen." J.J. stared fixedly at the TV, his neck and ears flushing red.

"Okay…" Jet glanced sideways at him, looking confused.

Jake took a deep breath, rolling over on his back to face him, lacing his fingers behind his head. "D'you think mum'll be mad if I ask for a new mom? I wanna be in a real family, with you 'an Jenny 'an maybe some brothers and sisters, but…I don't wanna make mum sad."

"You…you want Jen to be your mom?" Jet blinked, surprised. He knew J.J. looked up to Jenny and Ziva as sort of surrogate Aunts, but he never thought J.J. would look at Jen like a mother.

"I, well…yeah. B—But, only if she wants to. I—I know I'm not her real son, or anything, but…all the other kids at school have a mom 'an a dad, I want that too."

Both Gibbs boys were quieted as a soft voice spoke up from the doorway. "I'd love to be your mother, Jake, if that's what you want." Jenny leaned against the doorjamb, a small tumbler of bourbon gripped in her hands.

"Really?" J.J. stood from his position on the floor, running over to wrap his arms tightly around her waist. "You'll really do it?"

Jenny laughed softly, crouching down to his level. "Jake, if you want, then I'd be honored to be able to call you my son."

A/n: Well, there you go. I've already started work on Ch. 8, which is set a few weeks after this, and there will be a couple more surprises coming.

Review, tell me what you think! Please read my new story, Why I Am, also. It's a Jibbs AU, less team-oriented.

-meg