It was now three weeks after the accident, and Gibbs had finally returned to work. To say that his time off had been a breeze was an understatement.

Jenny had been really strict on what he could, and more annoyingly, what he couldn't do. He hadn't been allowed to come to work, even if it was just desk duty. He wasn't allowed in the basement, despite the fact that it was only one arm that was injured so he could easily get to and from it. He wasn't allowed coffee and alcohol for the first week because she made him take his pain medications. And lastly, she was pissed off at him because he wouldn't tell her what he was doing.

Luckily she had been working later in the past couple of days so Abby was able to sneak over and help him plan what he was going to do.

They had decided that if Jenny was going to move into his house, then he would bring her furniture with her. He needed to find a distraction while he, and with the forced help of McGee, DiNozzo and Palmer, took her furniture and had it all set up in his house for when she came home.

Maybe another spa weekend?

Except for the fact that the girls were willing to help, especially with the decorative elements…

He planned on having the renovations start next week, and so far the only reason he could come up with as to why he had to move in with Jenny for a little while was because he had termites and his house had to be fumigated. So once he "found termites", he would work on fixing up his house while he slept at hers.

It wasn't brilliant, but he knew Jenny would stay away from the chemicals and all the dust while she was pregnant.

He hoped.

He now walked into the bullpen, coffee in hand, and glared at the way that DiNozzo was leering at Ziva. He walked past the two, and headslapped DiNozzo on the way to him desk.

"Welcome back boss," Tony said, before running to his desk, and pretending to look like he was working.

The other two also welcomed him back, but they were interrupted by the bubbly goth.

"Gibbs," she screamed happily as she ran across the bullpen, "I'm glad that you're back." She then continued to run into him, hugging him as tightly as she could.

"Careful Abby," McGee warned, "you don't want to re-hurt his shoulder."

"Sorry Gibbs," she mumbled.

"S'alright Abs," he replied, kissing her on top of the head.

Abby just beamed in response.

She then whispered in a voice loud enough for only him to hear that she needed him to come down to the Labby and finalise his renovation plans.

Gibbs just nodded in response. She then turned on her platforms and made her way back down to her lab.

Since the team had no active case, they were expected to catch up on all their case files. Within the first hour he was bored, so he decided to pay a visit to Jenny.

He got up off his chair, and made his way up the stairs and into her office. Like usual, he just walked straight past Cynthia, and into the Director's office.

Cynthia was glad that Agent Gibbs was back, and was acting as his usual self. She knew he had been annoying the director of late, with his excessive whining about not being allowed to come to work. At least now he was back, and could give her a break.

"Jen," he called as he strolled into her office.

"Jethro," she said back with a smile crawling across her face.

He walked over to the couch, and lay on top of it.

"M'bored," was all he said.

Jenny just nodded in understandment. She knew that reading over them was painful, but having to write them was worse. However, she would never admit that.

"Aren't you glad you haven't been on desk duty for the past 3 weeks?" she teased at him.

He just gave her his characteristic glare.

"You know that your glare doesn't work on me Jethro," she retorted back.

He just rolled his eyes and continued to lay on the couch.

Jenny made her way over to her boyfriend, and sat on the floor, next to his head.

"What do you want me to do about it?" she hinted quite suggestively.

Gibbs just turned and looked at her, surprised. She was too busy fussing over his injured shoulder to even consider anything physical with her.

"Something physical," he replied, just as suggestively.

"Just what I was thinking," she teased back.

Gibbs went to lean over and kiss her, but she moved her head out of the way.

"I was thinking about you going to the gym and working with your injured arm, to make sure you're fit to go back out to the field," Jenny said with a smile.

Gibbs just glared at her in response.

"Afterwards, we could maybe discuss your definition of physical?"

"That wasn't nice Jen," he replied with a wounded look on his face.

Jenny just glared in response; she wasn't going to give in and he knew it.

Gibbs just rolled his eyes and hopped off the couch. He would detour via Abby's lab before going to the gym.

Just as he opened the door, Jenny had gotten to her feet and gave him a passionate kiss.

"I'll know if you disobey me," she said as she pushed into her lobby, and closed the door behind her.

Cynthia just smiled at him.

Gibbs scowled. The woman really did know how to get under his skin. He then turned and headed towards the elevator. Luckily for him, he was great at keeping her on her toes as well.

The elevator doors opened up to reveal the inside of Abby's lab. Like usual, the music was blaring and Abby was happily working, while sipping her Caf-Pow.

"Gibbs," she said with a smile.

"Abby," he replied.

"No Caf-Pow?"

"You already have one Abs."

Abby just looked at him, "Abby's rule number 2, always keep a spare. You never know what could happen Gibbs."

Gibbs just smiled at her; he loved her happy, bubbly personality.

"The plans Abby?"

"It's all set Gibbs. I've uploaded your houses blueprints onto this computer program I have, and I've managed to create a more modern-Jennyish styled house that is easily able to be created. I've even got the people organised for you – we just need to go through the house and paint this weekend. Is there anyway we can distract Jenny?"

Gibbs just looked at what Abby had done in amazement. She had managed to change the colours of all his walls, added in furniture that resembled Jenny's to show what it would look like, matched the new kitchen cupboards with the same wood colour and managed to re-arrange the bathroom so that Jenny had a spa bath.

Gibbs turned to Abby and kissed her on the head, "Good job Abs," he praised, "Leave distracting Jenny to me. Add a Caf-Pow to my bill."

"Thanks Gibbs," she beamed, "I also managed to convince the team as well as Ducky and Palmer to help up."

Gibbs smiled before heading to the bullpen.

He decided to go to the gym later that day, he had been thinking of a way of distracting Jenny, and he may have come up with the perfect solution.

He headed up to the bullpen and headed over to his computer. He turned it on and started to search for a name and phone number, much to the team's shock and confusion.

"Everything ok boss," McGee boldly asked.

Gibbs just glared at him before saying, "You guys can leave for lunch earlier today. DiNozzo, don't eat anything too fatty because we are going to the gym this afternoon."

If the team were shocked at Gibbs using a computer, they were certainly stunned at the notion of having an earlier, longer lunch. They didn't complain though, and rushed out before Gibbs could change his mind.

It took Gibbs around 20 minutes, these minutes mainly spent trying to figure the computer's operating system, to find the number he had been looking for.

He looked around the bullpen, making sure no one was watching him. No one was. He dialled the number,

"Hello, Catherine speaking," an elderly woman's voice answered through the phone.

"Hello Mrs Shepard, I'm Leroy Jethro Gibbs from NCIS."
"You're the man that I have seen over the media dating my daughter."

"Yes," he replied, "there's a reason why I'm calling. I need a favour."


After the phone call, Gibbs decided that he would have a quick coffee before he headed to the gym.

When he arrived at the gym, he looked at his team and frowned. How was he supposed to prove that his arm was ok with this lot? Fighting Ziva would only injury him more, DiNozzo would go easy on him, and McGee would be beaten within 3 minutes. He formulated an idea.

"Ziva, can you go over some more basic fighting techniques with McGee?"

"Yes," Ziva replied with a grin.

McGee looked scared.

Dinozzo was temporarily happy, until he figured out that he was pared with Gibbs.

"I'm going to do weights for my shoulder while you run on the treadmill. You could definitely use the cardio."

DiNozzo frowned at this, but saw that the treadmill was facing where Ziva and McGee would be working, so exercising wouldn't be too bad.

Everyone had been doing their own workout routine when Jenny snuck into the gym. She noted that Gibbs was doing weights, but he did look like he had a pained expression on his face.

She walked over to him and scolded,

"Don't push yourself too hard, it won't help your arm at all."

Gibbs just continued to ignore her. Jenny only grew angrier.

"Jethro," she persisted.

"What would you rather have me do?" he said, annoyed.

Jenny just grinned at this.

Gibbs glared in response.

"Cardio. I don't want you to go overboard with your shoulder. You need to work at it progressively."

Gibbs, deciding that it really wasn't worth the effort to argue, agreed with her assessment. What could he say, it takes two to tango!

Jenny smiled triumphantly and headed back to her office.


Later that night, Gibbs was lying on the couch, snuggled against Jenny, at her house. He decided now was the perfect time to set the plan into motion.

"Jen," he said.

No answer.

"Jen," he persisted.

'Yes Jethro," Jenny said tiredly.

"I have something to tell you," he said seriously.

"Yes?" he answered.

"While I was in my roof the other week, I noticed that I had termite damage. I am having it sprayed this weekend before I have a contractor assess the damage."

"That's horrible Jethro," she exclaimed, "I know what you're going to ask, and of course you can stay here."

"Thanks Jen," he said with a kiss to her right cheek.

"We wouldn't want the termites to get to your boat, would we?" she said with a smirk.

"Haha," he replied.

They continued to lay on the couch before Jenny started yawning. She decided that it was time for bed, and she left a very sexually frustrated marine on the couch. It probably didn't help that she was wearing a very revealing night gown ….

Gibbs inwardly groaned before deciding to have a cold shower before bed.


The rest of the week past by very quickly. Jenny observed Jethro while he worked out. Gibbs' shoulder became increasingly better. As a result, Jenny finally gave in to Jethro's, and admittingly her, needs.

It was a Saturday morning, and both Jenny and Jethro were sleeping in. That was, until there was a loud knock on the front door. Jethro looked at Jenny, hinting that it was she who had to get up and go downstairs and open the door. She sighed in annoyance, but complied anyway.

She got up quickly, and shouted that she was coming. She then hurried down the staircase and opened the front door.

The person standing at her doorstep was not the person she was expecting. And to say that she was surprised, was an understatement.

"Mum," Jenny smiled warmly.

"Jennifer," she replied, looking at her daughters slightly rounded stomach.

"Please, come in," she indicated. Catherine did as she was told.

"Jethro," Jenny shouted in the direction of their bedroom, "Come down, I have someone for you to meet."

Gibbs, already anticipating her arrival, came down fully dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue shirt. He was certainly putting on the charm.

"Hello Mrs Shepard," he acknowledged. Even if he hadn't set up this meeting, you could easily tell they were related. Catherine was an older version of Jenny.

"Nice to meet you," she said warmly.

"I'm going to go and put on some coffee," Gibbs responded, leaving the two women alone.

"So, what are you doing here mum?" Jenny asked.

"I just came to visit. Clearly we have a lot to catch up on," she said, hinting at Jenny's obvious pregnancy and Jethro.

"I'm glad you came," Jenny said.

Things had been awkward between the two since the death of Jenny's father. Her mother hadn't agreed on her daughter's choice to join NCIS and all that it ensured. But her opinion had changed and she was upset to think of all the time the two had lost over a stupid feud.

The two wandered into the kitchen and took a seat around the dining table.

"Coffee?" Gibbs asked to Catherine.

"Yes please, I'll have it with a bit of milk."

"Jen?" he asked.

"Just green tea Jethro," she replied.

"So, what are you two up to today?"

"I'm staying home and doing paperwork and Jethro is going back over to his house to do some maintenance work."

"Oh, are you planning on selling your house?" she asked interestingly.

"No, Jen, the baby and I are planning on moving to my house, and renting this one out."

"That sounds lovely, maybe I could come and help you with your house sometime?" she asked in a knowing tone.

"Of course," he replied.

"I'll come too," Jenny added.

Gibbs just glared at her. Jenny glared back in response; she was pregnant, she was still capable of helping him paint.

"I think the strenuous activity would strain your back," Catherine replied.

Jenny just looked at her. Catherine decided to elaborate,

"As you get further into the pregnancy, the more uncomfortable you feel. If you injure your back early on, you are going to regret it later, trust me."

Jenny just smiled at this. She was glad that she had her mother to talk with.

"So, how long are you planning on staying?" Jenny asked.

"For a couple of weeks, I think. I've missed you Jenny, and I want to get to know you better again."

"Sounds good to me. Why don't we have lunch and catch up while Jethro is working on his house?"

"I'd like that," Catherine said sincerely. She was glad that she hadn't been turned away, and that their reunion was coming along so smoothly.

Gibbs watched the exchange with a smile. He was glad that the two were making up. As much as he would like to keep watching, he had a job to do.

"Alright," he said, "I have to meet the contractor in 20 minutes, so I had better be off."

He walked over to the sink and placed his mug in there before heading over to Jenny and giving her a kiss goodbye,

"See you soon," she said.

"Have fun Jehtro," Catherine said. She liked her daughter's boyfriend and all the effort he was going to fixing up his house for her.


When Gibbs arrived at his house, he was surprised to find the whole team, Ducky, Abby, Palmer and Palmer's girlfriend Breena ready to help him with the renovations. He just smiled, and the team knew that he was grateful for their contribution.

Gibbs decided to get the boys, except for Ducky, to start taking his old furniture out of the house and chuck it into the skip which he had ordered and got delivered to the front of his house. He had decided that since Jenny's furniture was moving in, he didn't need his.

While the boys were doing the heavy lifting, the girls were clearing the junk out of the attic. Gibbs had told them what he wanted, and they were leaving it in the basement for the time being. The rest of the stuff was joining the furniture in the skip.

Ducky, meanwhile, was putting all of Gibbs' kitchen appliances, dishes and cups into bubble wrap and into boxes and moving them downstairs. Gibbs knew Jenny didn't cook, and doubted that she would have anything to contribute to the kitchen. If she did, he could always get rid of his kitchenware later.

It was nearing lunchtime and the team had managed to power their way through the first phase of their renovation plans.

Gibbs had called and ordered enough pizza for everyone for lunch. They all devoured it quickly.

"Thanks boss," a very appreciative, and now full, DiNozzo said.

It was now time to commence the second phase of the renovation. Gibbs showed the guys how to rip up the carpet, while the girls cleaned out the attic, in preparation for the builders. Gibbs and Ducky started to dismantle the kitchen.

Basically, by the end of the day Gibbs' entire house had been stripped and was ready for the renovators to come in. They should have the entire house fitted out by Wednesday, which gave Gibbs plenty of time to paint. He also had asked an ex-Marine buddy, now turned-plumber, to come and install the new bathroom appliances for him. He just needed to get a tiler, and sometime throughout the week after, they would be able to secretly move Jenny's belongings in.

Gibbs smiled at the progress they had made. He let his tired team leave early and said that he would see them at 0700 on Monday morning.


When Gibbs arrived back at Jenny's, he was surprised to see her cooking dinner with her mother. He strolled into the room and gave her a kiss and said hi to Catherine.

"Dinner will be ready in another 30 minutes. Why don't you have a shower since your covered in dust and whatever else is in your roof," Jenny said.

"Yes boss," he replied with a cheeky smile.

Jenny just nodded her head in agreement.

Catherine just watched the two in admiration. She had learnt a lot about the two over lunch with Jenny. Given both of their pasts she was glad that they were together, finally, and that they were both happy.

Gibbs headed upstairs and left the two alone. He was glad that they were getting along.

The hot water of the shower felt good on his stiff muscles. Despite the fact that he hadn't done anything over-taxing on his shoulder, he still felt sore. But the pain was for a good cause.

Jenny was going to be happy, and that was all that mattered to him.

After his shower, Gibbs headed downstairs to the smell of lasagne. He was glad that Catherine was helping Jenny with her cooking; he didn't want to eat anything burnt. Though, Jenny had been good recently…. since Noemi had been giving her side lessons, in preparation for the baby.

Gibbs walked into the kitchen and said,

"Smells delicious."

"It'll taste better," Catherine said.

"She's not lying, she's an amazing cook," Jenny added.

"I'm glad that someone here is," Gibbs said, having a dig at her previous cooking. Jenny just stuck her tongue out at him and handed him a plate.

"Did you ladies have a good day?"

"Yes we did, we caught up on a lot of things," Catherine said, eyeing him in a different light to before. Jenny just looked at Gibbs, and he knew that she was referring to their past in Paris and about his past with his late wife and daughter.

"I'm glad," he replied sincerely.

Dinner went by quickly, just filled with small talk about what they would get up to over the next couple of days.

Jenny headed to bed first, and Gibbs made to follow her, but Catherine stopped him in his tracks.

"Jethro," she whispered, "I know about your past, and I don't hold any of that against you. I can tell that you are happy, and that my daughter is happy, and that's all that counts."

"Thank you," he replied.

"I don't want to pressure you or anything, but this was Jasper's mother's engagement ring, and I know that she wanted Jenny to have it. So, if you decide to marry her, I know that it would mean a lot for you to give her this ring."

Gibbs just nodded, overcome with emotion. Catherine just patted his back, before she decided to head to her room as well.

Gibbs hadn't exactly been thinking about marriage yet, but now it was in the open, he knew that it was an obvious thing to happen. But would Jenny want that?

A/N: Sorry about the wait on this chapter, I've been incredibly busy with uni. I swear that course readings are going to kill me of boredom. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter - I'm not overly happy with it, but I didn't want to keep you waiting!