Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. Except for the mistakes those are mine.

A/N: You naughty readers, I know you've been waiting for the smut and behold I finally give it to you. So kiddies turn the other way this isn't for you. Being the nice person that I am I've clearly separated the smut from the story for you kids with a double line break. The rest of you don't go skipping to the good part, there are a few things that you'll need to know for the future. Thanks for the previous reviews

Warning: It's a little corny, but it works. Rated M, for some fun.

The obscure colouring movie reference in Chapter 10 was from 'Sex in the City 2'.

Enjoy*

It was too early to be at work, especially given the fact that Gibbs had been riding everyone's bumper for the last five days to get the double homicide solved, but Anthony DiNozzo was willing to bet it was due to the fact that his Sunday plans back home had been interrupted.

He'd drawn the short straw of picking Gibbs up to go to their crime scene just as they pulled into the drive way. It had been with great difficulty that he had turned around when his boss had kissed the lady boss goodbye, after all he did value his life more.

Watching the red numbers indicate the floors as he rode the elevator up, he yawned loudly not bothering to put his hand in front of his mouth. He'd actually gone to bed at a decent hour, but there was something about waking up too early that made him more tired than usual. The silver doors slid open and he glared at the empty squad room.

There was a light burning in the bullpen, and he felt a sudden joy flood him at the thought of nagging Kate the whole day for letting her lamp burn through the night. His mood was squashed when he saw the familiar brunette's head bent, already writing her report. He glared at her.

Tony made a big show of flopping down in his chair, having a silent argument with himself about the fact that he was at work before sunrise. Kate looked at him briefly before returning to her report. "Did you even go home last night?" He asked sounding almost disgusted with her.

"Yeah, I got in at three." Kate didn't look up from her paperwork as she replied.

"You don't have a life, Kate." Tony grumbled as he switched on his own desk lamp.

Kate rolled her eyes at him and continued with her After-action report. Tony pouted slightly when she didn't snap at him. Switching on his computer monitors he watched as they flickered to life and cast an eerie blue hue over his face. He looked up at the Troll Doll on top of his monitor staring at him with its large black painted eyes.

Why did he have to be in so early? Movement near the elevator caught his attention. Abby and McProbie came into view, happily chatting about some band Tony had never heard of. His eyes snapped to Kate's bent head.

"Did you know Probie was here?"

"Yeah, he was here before I got here. I don't think he actually left last night."

"McKiss-ass," Tony mumbled as McGee walked past his desk.

Abby was still standing at the entrance, as bouncy as ever, looking at all of them with excitement. Tony looked at her sceptically, a frown creasing his brow, "Why are you so happy?"

Abby whirled on him, stalking up to his desk, her black parasol pointed dangerously towards him. Tony swallowed heavily, looking at his co-workers for backup if she decided to snap and get rid of him. He relaxed when Abby's hands dropped to rest on her hips.

"Because, Tony, it's Friday which means the bowling championship is this weekend and the nuns and I are bringing our A-game to this tournament." Abby smiled brightly before continuing, "And well because I heard from someone, who heard from someone in evidence, who heard it from a trusted source that they overheard Jenny telling Ducky about her date with Gibbs tonight.

Tony's mouth was slightly agape as he tried to process all the information given to him. He looked from Kate to McGee and back to Abby, it was clearly not news to them by the looks on their faces. "How trust worthy is this source of yours?"

"Very trustworthy." Abby looked at him seriously.

"I even heard that Gibbs was going to take Jenny dancing." McGee added as he looked up from writing his report.

Everyone looked at him at once, each raising a questionable eyebrow at him. He looked at them slightly offended, "Hey! I have source too, sources that are much more reliable than yours since I don't gossip."

"Yeah sure McChitchat," Tony rolled his eyes, "who told you this?"

"Palmer." Tim said with a sigh.

"The Autopsy Gremlin," Tony looked at McGee with narrowed eyes, "that's genius McGee. He spends a lot of time around Ducky so he's bound to hear something we wouldn't."

Abby and Kate snickered softly, they knew who Jimmy's informant was and the M.E. assistant had been none the wiser when the Israeli had told him about their bosses going dancing. They had done it purely for entertainment, just to see Tony make a fool out of himself when he let it slip.

Kate shook her head as she made her way to the filing cabinet, "Come on DiNozzo, can you really picture Gibbs doing the Macarena?" she said with a laugh.

Tony had a far away look on his face, "No, but I can picture Jenny."

"You're a pig, Tony." Kate snapped at him, as she took a seat behind her desk again.

The back elevator dinged and everyone quieted down, terrified that their boss might appear around the corner. It wasn't long before the familiar NCIS-mail trolley came around the corner. Everyone relaxed at the sight of the young man as he pushed the trolley into the bullpen.

"Late night again?" He asked as he looked at the three agents with a smile, he was use to finding them in the bullpen when he made his rounds to deliver mail.

"Early morning." Tony piped up, eagerly waiting to get his own bundle of mail.

"Hey Abby." The young man smiled at her nervously.

"Hey Ben." Abby greeted him kindly, giving him a tight hug as he held out her mail.

McGee glared at Ben as he finished handing out their mail and pushed his trolley to the next bullpen. He watched him place another two bundles on Jenny and Ziva's desks before heading down the corridor. Tim spun his chair to face Abby, a slightly jealous look on his face, "You know him?"

"Yes, Timmy, he's very nice, to everyone. Well expect to people who use cosmetics and products tested on animals." Abby didn't look up from opening her mail.

"Why?" Tony stopped what he was doing.

"He's a vegan." Abby supplied once she finished reading the letter she'd received.

"Oh..." Tony raised his eyebrows knowingly.

"Well, I'll see you around, my babies need diagnostic tests before we get another major case." Abby waved at Kate before heading for the elevator.

Tony's face fell as he looked through his mail, all he had were a couple of bills and the monthly NCIS newsletter. Dumping most of the envelopes in the trash he leaned back in his chair, spinning from side to side for a while. The thought of starting his paperwork wasn't particularly entertaining.

Abandoning his seat he made his way to the adjoining bullpen. It was obvious who's desk was who's, Ziva's was bare save for the small flag indicating her nationality. He frowned when he saw that all her mail was in Hebrew script. Moving to the next desk he looked at the two photos on display, one was of Jenny amongst a group of women. The other was of her, Kelly and Yoda which looked like it could have been taken during their weekend away.

A sense of glee washed over him when he saw that her mail was in fact in English. Looking over the divider to make sure his co-workers weren't paying any attention, he took off the rubber band that held the stack of envelopes together.

They were mostly bills for rather expensive clothing stores, names that Tony DiNozzo knew off by heart since he wore most of the brands himself. He had to admit the woman had great taste in clothing, which made him wonder why she'd fall for someone like Gibbs – who quite frankly wore whatever looked acceptable.

Flipping through the rest of the envelopes he found one of serious interest. The stamp was definitely European, and by the looks of things, Italian to be exact. His eyes immediately flicked to the top left-hand corner.

Angela Bernardi.

The surname was no doubt Italian. His fingers itched to open it, to see what this woman had to say.

"McGee, isn't it a federal offence to open someone else's mail?" Kate asked casually, not once looking up from her work.

"You know what, Kate, it is." Tim gave her sly smile as they heard Tony mutter something, "You can get five years in prison." The two of them shared a smile as they heard Tony snap the rubber band back in place.

Tony stomped back into the bullpen, glaring at both McGee and Kate, "I'll have you know that I wasn't planning on opening it. And since the two of you think you're funny, I won't tell you who the letter was from."

"Fine by me." Tim typed away, not meeting the senior field agent's gaze.

"Yeah, I wasn't really curious either." Kate smiled at him sardonically.

Tony grit his teeth, hating them for not wanting to know something about Jenny's personal life. He wondered if Abby would be interested in his discovery, maybe she'd even offer to find out who Angela was. He knew better than to go down to the forensic lab, because he most probably wouldn't be coming back up in order to finish his work.

"I'm telling you anyway. Jenny got a letter from Italy, the senders name was Angela Bernardi." Tony blurted at his team mates excitedly.

"Yeah, and? Maybe it's an old friend from high school." Kate scowled at him.

"Then why send the letter to NCIS and not to Jenny's house?" Tony looked at her patronisingly, it was obvious that there was more to the letter.

"He's actually right. Why send a letter here if you know the home address." McGee piped up from his desk.

"Okay that's it. Tony, so what if she has friends in Italy, and Tim," Kate gave him strange look, "you have to stop reading so many comic books."

Tony snorted with laughter when McGee blushed and turned back to his computer screen. He bit his tongue, he didn't want to hear Kate drone on and on about other people's privacy. He just knew there was something about that letter. A gut feeling if you will.

They weren't even halfway through their morning, and he had already been head slapped – twice. The first one was because he hadn't started his paperwork yet, thanks to McGee and Kate they made it look like he was slacking off on his work. The second was Ziva's fault, she had cornered him in the break room while he was getting something to drink and had forced him to tell her about what he saw Sunday when he went to pick up Gibbs. Little did he know that his boss was right around the corner listening.

Tony glared at Kate as she not so casually told the Mossad Officer that he had snooped around the office and had gone through her and Jenny's mail. What pissed him off even more was the laugh the Israeli let slip, the amusement dancing in her dark eyes.

He straightened in his chair as he saw the redhead step off the elevator, her fingers wrapped around a large Styrofoam cup. He shook his head at Kate as she went on to tell Ziva about what he had done. The rate at which his heartbeats quickened had him worried he might have a heart attack. He could see Jenny draw nearer as her partner laughed and he could hear Gibbs' boots as they thundered down the stairs leading from the catwalk.

Tony felt a bead of sweat roll down from his temple, running over his cheek and down his neck into his crisp Gucci shirt. He grit his teeth and waited for either a heart attack or head slap to hit him first.

"What's so funny?" Jenny leaned against the divider near the entrance of the bullpen, looking a her partner with amusement.

Gibbs was across from Jenny, looking from her to Ziva, also waiting for an explanation.

"Tony went through our mail, and he has interesting theories."

The young Italian's eyes immediately cut to Jenny, knowing she'd make some smart remark that would take him a while to get. She was a good sport and she liked to toy with all of them on occasion, so he wasn't too worried, but his boss was right next to him and he was starting to fear for his life.

"You did what?!" Jenny practically yelled at him.

A hushed silence fell over the bullpen, everyone slightly taken aback by her reaction. Tony looked from Kate and Ziva to where Jenny was standing. His mouth opened and closed a few times, his friends had dropped him in hot water and he was struggling to get out.

Tony dared to look at Gibbs, and found that he too had been slightly taken aback by her sudden outburst, although he quickly masked his surprise.

"Jenny, I wasn't… I mean you know I-" he was cut off.

"It's fine Tony. I was out of line." Jenny gave him a tight smile before storming towards the back elevator.

There was a swift hard, not too hard, smack to the back of his head – making it three head slaps for the morning.

Jethro muttered at DiNozzo as he stomped after Jenny, "Nice goin', DiNozzo."

The silver doors were starting to slide shut just as he slipped his steel-toe boot between the closing doors. The elevator dinged as the doors slid open once again. Stepping inside he pressed the button to close the doors, and waited for the elevator to take them down to the first floor.

Jenny didn't look at him, she simply drank form her cup.

Jethro rolled his eyes and leaned forward, slapping the emergency switch almost violently. The fluorescent lights behind the metal railings flickered on, providing some illumination. He stepped back and rested against the back of the elevator waiting for Jenny to speak.

She didn't disappoint him, "Is there something you want, Jethro?"

Jethro shrugged his shoulders despite the fact that Jenny couldn't see him, "No, no not really. Unless there was something you weren't telling me."

"Good then there's nothing we have to talk about." Jenny reached out to set the metal box back in motion but she was pulled back slightly when Jethro gripped just above her elbow, turning her to face him.

"What happened in the bullpen, Jen? That wasn't like you to just snap at Tony." Jethro pried the now empty coffee cup from her hands, folding it in half and stuffing it in his jacket pocket.

Jenny pursed her lips slightly, crossing her arms and cocking her hip to the side.

"Did you receive bad news?" Jethro ran his hands up her arms, resting them on her shoulders and kneading the tense muscles.

Jenny shook her head, avoiding looking at him. She knew she had over reacted in the squad room, but the thought of someone finding out that she'd been receiving weekly letters from her mother did not bode well with her. Most of all she didn't want Jethro to find out that she had severed all contact with her mother, she never even opened the letters that were sent to her.

She knew he wouldn't hesitate in ripping her apart. After all she had been the one to pressure him into making contact with his father, but to her it was different than it was for him.

Her mother had abandoned her when she was eight, not bothering to contact her up until three years ago – almost four – just after her father had been killed. The Colonel had been everything to her, he had raised her, encouraged her to do great things – not her mother, she had decided to run off after some Italian who promised her a life she always dreamed of.

"No. I just had a bad start to my morning." She lied, it was the only thing she could think of doing. She wasn't ready to let him in on her past. There were skeletons in her closet that she didn't want anyone to see – especially not him.

Jethro simply narrowed his eyes at her, something was off, and he could have sworn he right eye had twitched or jumped he wasn't sure. He hadn't noticed it before when she was angry or upset, mainly because he was too busy yelling back at her. He left it at that, there was no point in ruining both their day and night because his curiosity got the better of him.

"You sure you're okay?" Jethro ran his hands down her shoulders and rested them on her hips.

"Jethro, I'm fine." She gave him a humourless laugh.

"Okay," He pulled her closer, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips.

Jenny pulled away, this time giving him a genuine smile before flicking the emergency switch again. The elevator stuttered into action and headed back up to the third floor.

Tony heard the familiar ding and buried his head in a file, not wanting to face Gibbs or Jenny. He had made it very clear to Kate that she was currently his least favourite person, and he had gone as far as to ignore her when she tried to apologise. He saw Jenny out of the corner of his eye as she made her way to his desk, he raised his eyebrows at what he was reading, hoping she'd go away if he ignored her as well.

When he felt her small hand on his, he looked up giving her one of his charming smiles.

"Tony, I am really sorry." Jenny spoke sincerely, it had been wrong of her to snap at him, but it had happened before she could think it through.

"Rule six, remember. It's a sign of weakness." He smiled at her again, hoping she wouldn't notice that it meant a lot that she had apologised.

"I always thought that saying you're sorry was a sign of strength, admitting you made a mistake." Jenny patted his hand before heading to her desk.

"You hear that boss?" Tony asked with a cheeky grin.

Jethro looked at him with narrowed eyes, "The hole you're in, DiNozzo," he pursed his lips slightly, "it just keeps getting deeper."

McGee snickered softly, but quickly schooled his features when Gibbs turned a glare towards him.

The day seemed to progress smoothly, after the slight fall out. The team had finished their reports just before lunch, and had decided unanimously that they would take an extra long lunch, dragging Ziva with them.

Jethro watched as the four agents piled into the elevator, already disagreeing on a restaurant. The doors closed on the loud discussion and left the squad room in relative silence. Jethro rested his face in his hands, sighing, he'd woken up with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Jenny's reaction this morning had made him wonder if that was cause for concern, but with the way the Director had called her up to MTAC had made him realise that she really was having a bad day. His stomach growled and he realised that he'd skipped breakfast in his haste to get an uncooperative Kelly dressed and fed before going to school.

Opening his second desk drawer he rummaged through its contents. There were several packets of gum amongst the various pencils and colouring books. It had been a while since Kelly was at the office, so the usual stash of snack hadn't been replaced since the last time she was around. Jethro slammed the drawer shut, grabbing his coffee cup and taking a long drink.

Looking at the stack of reports resting on the corner of his desk, he silently cursed his team for finally deciding to get some work done and handing in their reports all at once. Grabbing the top manila folder he flipped it open, seeing Kate's name he immediately signed off on it. He wasn't as lenient with DiNozzo or McGee.

Tony tended to forget certain details in his reports, mainly because he rushed half of it because he was behind. Tim over explained certain protocols to the point where it got too frustrating to even continue reading the report.

The elevator dinged, but Jethro didn't pay much attention, he was more focused on working through the reports in order to get away a little earlier than usual.

Joann scanned the squad room, hoping that Jethro would be at his desk and not somewhere in the building. She took a hesitant step towards the bullpen, she felt a little unsure since his team was nowhere to be seen. Rounding the corner of the bullpen she saw him pouring over paperwork. She felt bad for having to ruin his day but there wasn't much she could do about it.

"Jethro," Joann smiled at him as he looked up, surprised to see her in front of him.

"What's wrong? Is it Kelly?"

"No she's fine, she's still at school."

Jethro relaxed slightly, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest, "So what's wrong, why the personal visit?"

Joann pursed her lips slightly, "I have to go to Baltimore tonight."

Jethro narrowed his eyes and bit the tip of his tongue, nodding his head, "Yeah okay, it's fine, I'll pick Kelly up early enough so you won't have to leave too late." he didn't give her a second glance, he simply returned to his work, trying to figure out a way to tell Jenny that he'd have to cancel.

"Jethro, I didn't want to ruin your plans for tonight, but this is an emergency." Joann looked at him sincerely.

"Joann, it's fine, I'll think of something. I'll pick Kel up at around four, don't worry." Jethro gave her a brief smile.

Jethro closed the file and stood, walking with Joann to the elevator. He waved her off when she tried to apologise. He stared at his reflection in the metal doors for a while, his mind whirling in circles. Draining his cup of coffee, he made his way to the back elevator.

The second floor hallway was filled with music as usual, the door to the forensic lab wide open allowing the noise to spill out to the rest of the floor. Abby moved with the beat, glaring at the ten mixed match pins stacked in a triangle. She lifted the plastic bowling ball to her face, blowing over it for good luck. Taking a few steps she released the black plastic ball, sending all ten pins flying.

"Yes!" Abby shouted, her voice rising above the music currently playing.

Abby froze, her arms still in the air. Someone was watching her she could feel it, spinning on her high platform boots, she came face to face with Gibbs. A small smile graced her dark lips as she turned the music down.

"Hey, Gibbs. What brings you down to the labby? Do I still owe you a report? Because I gave it to Timmy, and told him that if he loses it again I'll strangle him." Abby said curiously, already setting up her pins once again.

"No," Gibbs drawled, stepping aside so she could take another shot at the pins.

All ten pins toppled over again and she bounced up and down with excitement, giving Gibbs a tight hug.

"So what can I do for you, Gibbs?"

It was only then that it dawned on him that Abby had her big bowling championship tonight. He grit his teeth painfully hard. It wouldn't be fair of him to ask her to watch Kelly for a couple of hours and leave her big game. He shook his head at her, "No, it's nothing. It can wait." he didn't dare mention anything to her, because she would drop everything and help him.

"You sure, Gibbs?" Abby asked with concern, placing her plastic ball on her workbench and walking to where he was standing.

"Yeah," He smiled at her and kissed her cheek, "You knock 'em dead tonight, Abs."

Jethro stepped into the elevator, his stomach was in knots and he didn't know why. It got worse after he'd seen Joann off, he should have known his plans would blow up in his face. He knew that he couldn't ask his team to offer up their Friday night just so he could have a night on the town for a while. Joann was usually kind enough to look after Kelly for a couple of hours, but she had a life as well.

He was against babysitters, they were people he didn't know or trust and he'd never leave his child with a stranger. It was one of the main reasons he'd sworn off going on dates, his companion usually didn't understand his dilemma of leaving his daughter with someone. He'd much rather share take-out with his little girl than trying to impress some woman.

The sound of his teams bickering in the bullpen made him sigh, he didn't have energy for this today. They were all seated around Tony's desk which housed various take-out bags. They acknowledged him silently as he sat behind his desk again. Ziva made eye contact with him as he looked inside the paper bag on his desk, giving him a smile when he inclined his head towards her in thanks.

A tall Styrofoam cup appeared in front of him, looking up he met her bright emerald eyes, she smiled at him and perched on his desk.

"Looks like you can use it." Jenny indicated towards the cup, taking in the tenseness in his posture.

Jethro took the cup, holding it close and inhaling the strong aroma. Exhaling heavily he handed over the paper bag, allowing Jenny to pick first. He silently offered her his chair but she declined, preferring to sit on his desk.

"Are you okay?" Jenny asked quietly. She could see something was bothering him.

"We have to cancel." Jethro said simply, not seeing the point in lying to her up until the last minute, "Joann needs to go to Baltimore, some emergency."

"Oh," Jenny pursed her lips slightly, "we don't have to cancel."

"No, Jen," Jethro smiled slightly, "I just want it to be us for a night." it was hard having a conversation about anything when there was a three-year-old constantly butting in.

"I can ask Noemi, I doubt she'll mind. It might even do her some good." Jenny poked around her carton of Chinese, looking for her favourite pieces.

"I appreciate the offer Jen, but I don't want to impose on her." Jethro took a large bite of egg noodles. They lapsed into silence.

Jenny frowned slightly, she knew Jethro had his reasons for not wanting to leave Kelly with a nanny. He'd made that clear when they started making plans. She also knew that he'd rather suffer in silence than ask someone for help if it involved his private life.

"I guess we'll just have to reschedule." Jenny smiled and turned back to her Chow Mein.

"Reschedule what?"

Both Jenny and Jethro turned to look at the person who asked the question. Jethro glared at the Israeli for listening in on a private conversation, she simply turned her gaze from him to Jenny.

"Nothin',"

"Our date," They spoke in unison, giving the other a glare.

Ziva looked at the two of them over the divider, "Oh, why?"

"None of your business." Jethro growled irately, turning back to his own container full of food.

Jenny rolled her eyes at him and slapped his shoulder lightly, she could see something was bothering him other than the fact that he had to cancel. "The babysitter cancelled. So our night out is now going to be in."

"You want someone to sit on your child?" Ziva asked incredulously, giving Jethro a wide eyed look. Jethro growled at her but didn't answer.

"No, Ziva, no-one can look after Kelly for the night." Jethro glared at Jenny again, unimpressed by the fact that she was sharing private information with Ziva.

Ziva nodded in understanding. She looked over at Tony who was explaining something rather animatedly. She was spending her evening with him watching movies, and she couldn't see why they couldn't take Kelly off their hands for a while. She knew how much Jenny had been looking forward to this night.

"I can take her. Tony and I are just going to watch some movies, I am sure he will not mind." Ziva looked over at Tony and waved him over.

Tony left Kate and McGee at his desk, grabbing his half eaten burger and making his way to his boss' desk, "What's up?"

"They do not have someone to sit on Kelly, so I volunteered us." Ziva explained to him briefly.

Tony looked at her in bewilderment, taken aback by what she said. He took a moment to think about what it was she actually meant. He chewed his large bite of food, nodding as he started understanding what it was she had said. He grinned at his boss, his olive green eyes twinkling.

"Sure, anythin' to help the Boss-man score." Tony looked at Jenny smiling when she glared at him.

Three sets of eyes turned onto Jethro, watching as he contemplated their offer. He could see the hope in Jenny's eyes as the two younger agents lingered to hear if they'd take them up on their offer. He was fine with Kelly spending time with Tony, it wouldn't be the first time and Kelly would be thrilled with spending time with him. Kelly also seemed to like Ziva so it was a win-win for all of them.

"Okay." Jethro finally broke the silence.

Tony's grin grew as he eyed Ziva across the divider, "You know what we're watching tonight?" he didn't wait for her to answer, "The Lion King, so far one of the highest grossing animated movies of all time." Tony made his way to the other side of the bullpen, "Then some Toy Story, after which we'll watch Pocahontas."

"DiNozzo," Jethro turned to look at his senior field agent.

"Yeah, boss?"

"No Addams Family, and none of that Ball Dragon stuff." Jethro glared at him.

"Dragon Ball Z, yeah I remember boss, they give her nightmares. We'll watch them when she's older." Tony turned back to Ziva, his excitement growing at the thought of sharing his love for movies with Ziva and Kelly.

Jenny looked back at Jethro, her smile still on her lips, "I think all we had to do was ask."

Jethro rummaged through Kelly's set of drawers, trying to find a pair of clean pyjamas. He hadn't had a chance to get the laundry done since their return from Stillwater, and he was hoping there was a pair of pyjamas somewhere in the drawer. Finding a set of pyjamas covered in cartoons he let out a sigh of relief and turned back to his hyperactive toddler.

"Stop jumping on the bed." Jethro scolded as he watched Kelly bounce around.

Kelly settled down, still standing on the bed, her towel long since discarded for dancing around in her underwear. Jethro gave her a look, silently telling her to calm down. He'd struggled getting her in the tub, in the last week she had refused to take baths when he had a chance to get home at a decent hour. He had told himself that it was just another phase they would have to tough out, but there were moments he contemplated putting her in bed despite the fact that she was sticky and dirty.

Kelly's excitement had bubbled over since he told her she'd be spending her night with Ziva and Tony instead of her grandmother. It did make him feel a little better that she was looking forward to spending some time with them, and less guilty about leaving her for a few hours.

"Kelly," Jethro snapped when she wriggled around too much for him to pull the pyjama-top over her head.

Kelly stayed still long enough to get dressed before she started moving around again, darting around her room and throwing most of her toys into her backpack. Yoda simply looked at her from his spot on the chair, he'd been excited when they'd come home, but he had soon realised he wasn't a part of their plans.

Jethro patted the Terrier on the head, scratching his ears before leaving to get himself ready. He made sure that Kelly was preoccupied enough before slipping out of the room and quietly padding down the hall. He tried slowing his pace, not quite ready to be – ready. The knots in his stomach hadn't eased in the slightest, making him wonder whether it was down to his gut or nerves.

Jethro scoffed at himself, he was too old for nerves. The butterfly feeling had died along with his wife, the last time he could remember actually feeling butterflies in his stomach was just before returning from Frankfurt. The anticipation of seeing his wife after being deployed on Operation Desert Storm, and spending almost three weeks on base in Frankfurt had made him anxious to see her.

He'd been on dates before, with women he hardly even knew, some of them had been Mike Franks' idea. Other's had been Joann's doing. Only two of them had really turned into something. He hadn't felt this way back then, so what made him feel like this now?

Somewhere the rational part of his mind reminded him that his feelings for this woman went far beyond just simply liking her. He truly cared about her, and he was nowhere near admitting that his feelings went deeper than just caring.

Jethro had been smart enough to get showered before leaving NCIS, knowing that he'd run out of time with having to get himself and Kelly ready at the same time. Exchanging his hoodie and jeans for something a little more sophisticated; he buttoned the dark blue designer shirt and pulled on his jacket.

He found himself inspecting the way he looked. Their dinner reservations required him to dress in something other than washout jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. He shook his head at himself, who would have thought he'd get dressed up for a woman?

Satisfied with his choice of dark suit and an almost equally dark shirt he ran a hand through his hair and switched off his bedroom light. Stalking down the hall he could hear Kelly moving around her room, still talking non-stop to Yoda.

Peeking around the door he watched as she stuffed her grey bear into her backpack along with her turtle, causing the bag to almost burst at the seams. An equally bulging red backpack was at her feet, various pointy objects pushing against their confinement.

Jethro swooped her up off the floor, drawing a squeal from her, she giggle when she recognised it was him and twisted around in his arms to give him a hug. Planting a wet kiss on his cheek she placed both hands on his cheeks, wrinkling her nose cutely.

"Daddy, you smell funny." She sniffed at him, almost like a puppy.

"It's because I'm wearing cologne." Jethro returned her kiss and picked up the two backpack, slinging them over his shoulder.

"What is colon?" Kelly asked curiously.

Jethro laughed, "Not colon, cologne. A colon is a punctuation mark." Jethro poked her tummy softly, "And your colon is inside your tummy."

Kelly giggled as he poked her stomach, pushing his hands away. "Why are you wearing, colo-gne?"

"Because I wanted to smell nice." Jethro made his way to the front door, grabbing his keys and wallet.

"But you always smell nice." Kelly looked at him seriously, not really understanding why her father would want to smell different than usual.

The little girl dropped the subject for a while, waiting almost impatiently for her father to strap her into her car seat. When he was in his seat and they were heading down the street, she started kicking her legs against the seat in front of her, her creature-feet-like slippers were at least not leaving marks on the black leather.

"Daddy?" Kelly asked after a few more minutes of silence, watching the cars as they drove by them.

"Yeah, Kel?"

"Can I wear colo-gne when I is as big as you?"

Jethro chewed the inside of his cheek, not sure how to answer. Telling his daughter that she'd wear perfume rather than cologne, felt like telling her that she'd one day be a woman and to him she was still just his little baby girl. Clearing his throat a little he answered, "No, girls wear perfume."

"Oh." Was the only reply he received.

He felt his stomach flutter again.

Something felt off – your wearing cologne, he thought to himself. Contrary to what people thought, he did care about what he smelled like and he did actually use deodorant, but the distinct smell of wood that seeped into his clothes just masked it. He could probably count the number of times he'd used cologne on one hand, unlike Tony who seemed to bathe in the stuff.

Pushing the niggling feeling and his sudden urge to wear cologne to the back of his mind, he tried to navigate the small back streets that took him around the still heavy rush hour traffic. Checking the small clock on the dashboard, he relaxed a little. There was still enough time for him to drive out to Silver Spring and then back to Georgetown.

Jethro fiddled with the radio, trying to find something that was worth listening to, he was too conflicted to be thinking about how the night was going to turn out. He growled under his breath when all he heard was static coming from the radio as he tuned it to find the country station. All the other stations were playing stuff he didn't consider as music.

Kelly stopped him when he tried to find another station – he groaned internally, his daughter was spending too much time around Jenny and Kate, since their music taste was starting to rub off on her. He glared at the car in front him, trying to remember what the squeaky voiced artists called themselves – Spice something. Jethro smiled as he heard Kelly mumble through half of the lyrics, he could hear her feet kick against the seat in time with the beat of the song.

They pulled up outside the grand apartment building. Kelly was already starting to unbuckle her safety belt, her excitement too much to contain. She grabbed her two backpacks and opened her door, where her father was already waiting for her. She slammed her door loudly and started heading toward the large glass doors.

"Kelly, wait!" Jethro growled as she wandered off on her own. The toddler froze at her father's tone, waiting for him to lock the car and meet her at the large doors.

Ushering Kelly through the doors, he steered her toward the elevator, the bags he'd taken from her in his other hand. Kelly stood near the panel with all the buttons, jabbing the right one and watching in wonderment as they started moving, the buttons lighting up for each floor as they passed it.

Kelly tugged on her father's jacket, "Daddy, up please?"

Jethro picked his little girl up, she was becoming heavier and he wasn't sure he'd be able to carry her around on his hip for much longer. He'd noticed her need to cling to him almost before she tugged on his jacket. He held her close, scrunching his nose at her when the doors slid open. He knew she was excited and would probably forget about him for a few hours, but neither of them were very good at saying goodbye to one another.

Trudging down the hall, Jethro felt Kelly's grip tighten. He located the number he was looking for, and knocked hard enough for them to hear. There were muted voices coming form the other side. He could just make out movement through the peep hole when the door swung open, the smell of popcorn hitting him in the face.

Jethro smiled politely at Ziva, "We too early?"

"No, Tony has been bouncing of the halls since I arrived." Ziva waved at Kelly, who held her arms out to her.

"Walls," Jethro corrected as he handed Kelly over to Ziva, who held her close with ease. It had surprised him how quickly Kelly had warmed up to Ziva, but he supposed the fact that Ziva was closer to Tony than the rest didn't hurt her case.

"Daddy's wearing colo-gne," Kelly blurted out as she settled on Ziva's hip, "he smells funny."

Jethro grit his teeth, hoping to fight the heat that was spreading across his cheeks.

Ziva's dark brown eyes sparkled with amusement as she watched Gibbs look anywhere but at her, she didn't think there was actually something that could make him uncomfortable. At least he was making an effort for Jenny. She'd seen some of the men who had taken her friend's fancy over the last two years, half of them more pretentious than the first.

Gibbs was different, she could see it in the way Jenny's eyes clouded over at the mention of his name.

"Well I think your Abba smells very nice." Ziva winked at the little girl, seeing yet another blush shoot across the older man's nose at the compliment.

"Whoa, Boss-man, you clean up pretty nice." Tony boomed as he came out of the kitchen, three bowls of popcorn in his arms, "I bet Jenny's gonna be very impressed."

"Shut it DiNozzo." Jethro growled.

Tony placed the bowls on the coffee table, making his way to the front door. He pulled his face at Kelly, drawing a giggle from her. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he eyed his boss warily, taking the tailored design of the older man's suit.

"That's a pretty nice suit, Boss, you're not planning on marrying Jenny are you?" Tony joked lightly.

The unamused look he got from Gibbs made him bite his lip to stop from smiling, "But you do look nice, the shirt makes your eyes pop."

"DiNozzo," Jethro growled again, he wanted to smile but he had to be intimidating.

"We do not wish to keep you any longer, I am sure you need to get going to make it in time for your reservations." Ziva interjected quickly before Tony could say something else that would make the other man more uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Jethro handed the backpacks to Tony and held out his arms for Kelly again. Hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek gently, "Daddy will see you later okay, I promise." Jethro pressed another kiss to her head and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too." Kelly returned his kiss and looked at him almost dejectedly as he placed her on the floor. Tony took her hand and led her to the living room, trying to distract her so that her father could leave without having to deal with tears.

"She's already had dinner, but she might get hungry a little later, I usually just make her a sandwich. There's money in the right front pocket of the blue backpack if you guys need it. My phones with me, so if anything happens just call."

Ziva rested a hand on his fore arm, "Gibbs, we're happy to take care of her. Go enjoy your night, I know Jenny can't wait."

Jethro smiled at her, "Thanks, Ziver."

Ziva closed the door as soon as Gibbs disappeared inside the elevator. Turning she watched as Tony settled next to Kelly on the thick carpet, giving her his full attention as she showed him the new toys she'd been given.

It occurred to her that this was the real Anthony DiNozzo, slightly unguarded and completely at ease with the person next to him. When he looked up at her she smiled at him, he seemed happy as he smirked at her and turned back to the little girl who had him wrapped around her small chubby finger. Telling herself to enjoy the night as much as possible – because she had a feeling her time in the States were numbered - she pushed away from the door and joined them on the carpet.

Noemi sipped her tee slowly, feeling proud of herself for brewing such a fine pot of tee. She flicked an imaginary piece of dust off her jeans and waited patiently, tapping her foot rhythmically against the carpeted floor. She was waiting for Jenny to emerge from the large walk in wardrobe, it had been rather amusing seeing the young woman talk to herself over what to wear.

"Jenny, are you still okay?" Noemi asked slightly concerned, she hadn't heard any muttering in a while.

The woman in question poked her head around the door, "I have nothing to wear."

Noemi's eyes widened in disbelief, a knowing smile flickering across her lips, "Nonsense, you have plenty of clothes."

Placing her cup on the small table she shooed Jenny back inside the closet, inspecting all the beautiful garments on display. Folding her arms primly she looked at the dresses on display, "What did he say, where is he taking you?"

When she didn't get a reply she spun around and faced Jenny. She'd been there when the young woman had gone on her first date, all though back then she wasn't as confident as she was now, preferring to hide in her father's study on weekends. Things had changed after Jasper's death, she'd seen the headstrong woman that she had helped raise crumble and rebuild herself, stronger and more guarded than before.

Jenny smiled at her almost nervously, still clad in nothing but a dark towel, she shrugged her shoulders, "He didn't say. All he said was he'd be here at seven, and I now have forty five minutes left." Jenny surveyed the closet, "Although I wouldn't put it past him if we just went to the diner he liked so much."

Noemi laughed, "You are joking?"

Jenny shook her head her lips pursed slightly, "No."

Noemi shook her head, turning back to the collection of dresses on display. Finding the one she had been looking for she took it and held it out towards Jenny, "You have been looking for an excuse to wear this since you bought it, now is your chance."

Jenny eyed the black long sleeve dress sceptically, not entirely sure if it was the right choice. She'd stick out like a sore thumb if Jethro really did take her to the diner, she shrugged her shoulders and took the dress – she'd rather be overdressed than under-dressed.

Padding back into her room she could hear Noemi mutter something about how messy her closet was. Slipping the dress on, she looked at herself in the mirror. Satisfied with the way she looked, she made her way to her vanity table.

Noemi reappeared in the bedroom, a pair of black four inch heels in her hand. Jenny smiled at her in the mirror, "How did you know those were the pair I wanted?"

Noemi placed the heels on the dresser, walking to stand behind the young woman. Pressing a maternal kiss to the back of her head she smile, "Jimmy Choo is a woman's best friend. And I know you." Noemi winked at her and ran her fingers through Jenny's thick red curly hair, "Do you want me to straighten your hair?"

Jenny shook her head slightly as she applied the final touches to her make-up, "No, thank you. Jethro likes it this way." the faint blush was impossible to miss as it shot across her cheeks.

Noemi smiled at her, kissing her head again. She moved to the window, looking out on the street, the familiar dark sedan parked across the street made her smile. Looking at her watch she noted that he was five minutes early. She watched as he got out of the car, his crisp suit indicating that he had been a little more imaginative than just simply taking Jenny to a diner.

The redhead checked her appearance one last time before walking out of the room with Noemi ahead of her. She'd seen the glint in the older woman's eyes and she was curios about what she knew, and had so much trouble hiding.

They'd just stepped into the foyer when the doorbell went off. Noemi opened the door, smiling at the man on the other side. She bid them both a goodnight before leaving them alone, disappearing down the hall, a sudden sadness washing over her as she wished Jasper could see how his daughter beamed with love when she saw Jethro.

Jethro took in the sight in front of him. Starting at the impossibly high heels, admiring how they made her legs go on forever. He took a sharp breath at the enticing way the tight fitting dress showed off her curves, he wanted to pull her against him so he could run his hands all over her. Licking his lips he reached out and pulled her closer.

"You look beautiful." He sounded almost breathless as he whispered against her lips.

Not giving her a chance to reply, he pressed his lips against hers, kissing her until his lungs burned.

Jenny rested her hands against his chest, holding on to him for a minute. Her head was spinning slightly at the rush of kissing him. Meeting his darkened eyes she gave him a sultry smile, reaching out to wipe away the lipstick on his mouth.

"Jethro Gibbs, you, look very handsome." His eyes flicked down to her mouth as she spoke, enchanted by her sinful red lips.

"I try." Jethro smirked at her.

Placing a lingering kiss on her lips, he wrapped an arm around her waist holding her close, there was no way he'd let her slip from his grasp dressed like that. Opening her car door for her, he couldn't help put stare at her legs as she slipped inside the car elegantly, the pale skin taunting him to forgo his plans and drag her up to her bedroom instead.

The sultry smile she gave him as he slid into the seat next to her, told him that he'd been caught staring and that she had seen right through him. Reprimanding himself, he started the large eight cylinder engine and pulled out. Jethro clenched his jaw as Jenny rested her hand dangerously high on his thigh.

Jenny looked at Jethro out of the corner of her eye, her stomach had fluttered almost uncontrollably when she'd seen him step into the foyer. She'd half expected him to be wearing jeans and one of his hoodies and a pair of his work boots, not the well tailored suit he had opted for. But what had effectively knocked her feet out right under her, was how good he smelled.

Shifting around in her seat, she looked at the back seat out of habit, half expecting the little bundle of energy to be buckled in safely and staring out the window. However, there wasn't a pair of electric blue eyes looking at her curiously, the car suddenly seemed empty and definitely too quiet. "I miss her not being back there."

Jethro smiled at her, he knew how she felt all too well. He reminded himself that Kelly was safe since she was surrounded by two federal agents, and that it wasn't a crime to focus on him and Jenny for just a few hours. Taking Jenny's hand in his he brought it up to his face and kissed her hand softly turning his attention back to the road.

"So where are we going?" She couldn't help herself, there had to be a reason for him to get dressed up since he wasn't really one for suits.

"It's a surprise."

Jenny let out a sigh of relief as the car came to a stop, her lover was already out of the car and making his way to her door. The anticipation of what he had up his sleeve was too much for her to bear. Placing her hand in his she let him help her out of the car – despite the fact that she could manage just fine on her own, she'd stroke his ego by letting him be chivalrous.

Jethro placed his hand on the small of her back, pressing his fingers into the soft skin underneath the black material. He was silently hoping that the task of fishing for information he had given Ducky would pay off. He knew the owner of the small exclusive restaurant quite well and had managed to get reservations at the last minute.

The place was buzzing with activity, there were shops that were still open, teenagers moving about inside. Music spilled out into the small business square from a few bars, people moved between restaurants and shops, simply enjoying their Friday night.

Jenny moved a little closer to Jethro, trying to avoid being pummelled by a group of teenagers. He moved his hand from her back to her hip, holding her close and steering them away from the chaos to a more sophisticated area. The atmosphere seemed to change to a more relaxed classic feel.

They stopped in front of a restaurant that wasn't as flashy as the others, but the dark wood entrance and red curtains made it far more enticing than glass windows the rest had gone with.

Jethro smirked as he heard Jenny's small surprised gasp as he led her inside, the French style décore glaringly obvious. Jethro gave his name to the young man who'd welcomed them inside, and allowed Jenny to walk in front of him as they were led to their table.

The man introduced them to their waiter and had wished them a good evening before leaving again. They placed their orders along with a bottle of expensive red wine before they were left alone.

"I have to be honest," Jenny flashed Jethro a grin, "I wasn't expecting this."

Jethro narrowed his eyes only in the slightest, an arrogant smirk curling the corners of his lips, "So, I surprised you?" he knew he had, but he just wanted to hear her say it.

Jenny bit her lower lip, rolling her eyes. They'd had this exact conversation only a week ago and if memory served her well, which it did, he'd been rather annoyed with her answer. Giving him another smile, she answered him honestly, "I guess you did."

Jenny shook her head, his ego was going to be larger than him by the time their night was over. Taking a sip of her wine, which had arrived in the mean time, she looked around the expensively decorated restaurant. The red curtains in front of the large windows did nothing but hide the beauty of the place on the inside, she guessed that's what the original idea had been.

She'd lived in DC all her life and she hadn't even been aware that the restaurant existed. She'd been to all the other's that surrounded it, whether it was to take out one of her clients or to celebrate a particularly tough case during her time as a lawyer. She didn't even think Jethro knew this part of DC existed, she knew that he wasn't the type to rub elbows with senators and congressmen.

Taking another sip of her wine, she hummed appreciatively, the taste was strong and unique something she hadn't quite experienced before. She really was a bad judge of people, she wasn't aware that Jethro could really truly enjoy the taste of something other than the paint stripped he called bourbon. He surprised her once again but she'd be damned if she told him that, he was smug already.

"How did you know I liked French cuisine?" Jenny asked as casually as possible. She knew that Abby thought Jethro had some kind of psychic power, but she knew he had rather devious ways of obtaining certain information. That, and Ducky's fishing during the week had made her realise that something was up and it only just hit her now.

"I just knew." He didn't look at her, opting for looking into his glass of wine as he swirled the red liquid around.

"Uh-huh, right so Ducky asking had nothing to do with it." It was her turn too give him a smug smile, pleased that she had caught on. Although she was flattered that he'd gone out of his way to make the night special for her.

"Nah, it's just a coincidence." He said deadpan, shrugging his shoulders and drinking from the crystal glass.

Jenny smiled at him from across the table, neither of them believed in coincidences, she could see the barest hint of a smile on his lips as he avoided looking at her. Reaching out she tapped her finger against the back of his hand softly, running her fingers over his knuckles, drawing his attention back to her. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed it affectionately.

"Thank you, Jethro."

Jethro smiled at her, taking her hand in his firmly and bringing it to his mouth. His piercing blue eyes fluttered closed briefly as he kissed her hand tenderly. This time he knew exactly why his stomach fluttered suddenly, and it definitely had something to do with the look she gave him as he met her dark emerald eyes.

The apartment was quiet save for the movie that was currently playing. Kelly was sprawled out next to Tony, clutching onto his shirt as she watched the animated characters, still occasionally sniffling from earlier. Ziva was curled up next to them, swaddled in a blanket not used to the cold autumn nights.

Tony tapped Kelly's back rhythmically, soothing her quietly. They had watched the movie together a number of times, and the scene where Mufasa dies still got to the both of them. He supposed for her it was like thinking she'd never see her father again if something similar ever happened, but to him it cut a lot deeper. It brought back painful memories of watching his mother's health deteriorate and then being there when she passed away.

He could have sworn that he'd seen Ziva wipe at her eyes a few times after that scene. She had told him briefly one night after a little too much to drink that she had lost her sister in a bombing, and that Gibbs' little girl reminded her of her sister. It was then that he'd realised how much she trusted him to keep such a secret safe.

The credits started rolling and he abandoned his spot on the couch to take the video tape out. Turning on the lights he squinted slightly, the lights too bright for his eyes.

Kelly sat up, rubbing her eyes. She moved across the plush leather couch to where Ziva was, snuggling into her as the young woman wrapped her in the blanket with her. Kelly leaned against her, her large blue eyes boring into Ziva, she smiled at her shyly as she mumbled, "Ziva, I'm hungry."

Ziva pursed her lips slightly, "Would you like some ice cream?" she knew that feeding a toddler sugar so late at night was wrong but it was probably a rare treat.

"Are you out of you mind? Do you have any idea what Gibbs would do to us if he were to find out we fed his kid ice cream instead of something proper to eat?" Tony looked at her in bewilderment. He didn't need the wrath of Gibbs upon him because Ziva wanted to feed Kelly ice cream.

"We'll have a sandwich and then some ice cream." Ziva amended.

Kelly wriggled out of the blanket, sliding to the floor and running towards Tony, crashing into his legs and hugging him tightly, "Please, Tony."

"Okay, but we'll have to go out at get some, cause I'm all out." Tony placed the video tape in its case.

Tony rummaged through Kelly's blue backpack, taking out the two stuffed animals and throwing them onto the couch. He had spent enough time with Kelly to know that Gibbs always kept a spare set of clothes, or in tonight's case a jacket in her backpack. Looking through the rest of the contents he found a full bottle of Tylenol syrup and her EpiPen.

Taking the jacket he placed the backpack neatly back in its place and handed the jacket over to Ziva who had helped Kelly pull her slippers over her sock clad feet. Pulling the red baseball jacket over the pyjama top Ziva fastened it and pulled on her own coat.

"We're gonna have to walk since we don't have a car seat, and I'm not risking strapping her into the back of the car, Gibbs will find out. Which means your carrying her Zee-vah."

"Fine, Tony." Ziva gave him a saucy look. Taking Kelly's hand she walked with her to the front door, "You are coming, yes?"

Ziva rolled her eyes as yet another woman cooed more at Tony than at Kelly. The little girl was attracting quite a lot of attention with her larger than life slippers, wild curls and cartoon pyjamas, she looked cute, and every other single woman in the small 24/7 store thought so too. If she hadn't known any better she would have thought that Tony only offered to look after Kelly to pick up women.

Grabbing the first tub of ice cream she made her way to the cash register, watching as Tony conversed with a woman who was believing every word he was saying. Thanking the old man behind the counter for helping her she made her way to where Kelly was seated on the floor paging through a magazine.

Scooping her up off the floor, Ziva wrinkled her nose at the toddler and made her way to where Tony was standing oblivious to the fact that Kelly had wandered off. The woman's back was to her and she couldn't help but smile a little evilly behind the woman's back.

"Honey are you ready to leave?" Ziva asked in a sickly sweet tone of voice, batting her eyelashes and smiling at them innocently. Kelly giggled and buried her head in Ziva's shoulder.

Tony's mouth opened and closed a few times, watching in shock as the woman flipped her hair over her shoulder and stormed towards the exit. He turned dark unimpressed green eyes towards the Israeli, "What did you do that for?"

"I do not know what you are talking about."

"Zee-vah," Tony whined as he stomped after her, "I was this close to getting her number."

"Why do you think women would like you more if you had a child?" Ziva adjusted Kelly on her hip and passed the plastic bag to Tony.

"Oh come on Ziva." Tony twisted the plastic bag around his wrist and quickened his pace to keep up with her, "It's obvious, isn't it? You women like men who show signs of nurture, and since I'm looking after Kelly I figured I could use it to my advantage."

Ziva glared at the charming smile the Italian gave her, "That is bold, yes? Assuming all women like the same thing." placing the little girl on the ground, she took her hand in hers and held it tightly as they walked back to the apartment.

"Some would say stereotypical, but that's not the point." Tony scuffed his shoe a little as their pace slowed, "Besides the whole nurture thing works for Gibbs. I mean it wasn't long before he and Jenny were a thing."

Ziva held up a hand stopping him, "Ah, ah, Jenny liked Gibbs before she knew he had a child. And it is different since it is his child."

Tony narrowed his eyes at her slightly, she had a point, but he wasn't going to let the subject drop, "Why does it bother you how I pick up women?"

Ziva bit her lip, she had to tread carefully, "It does not bother me. But not all women like the same qualities in a man."

Tony stopped, looking at Ziva intently, licking his lips he smiled at her, "So, miss David, what do you look for in a man?"

They had stopped in front off a large display window, Ziva stepped closer to Tony, backing him into the large window. Her dark eyes flicking from his olive green eyes to his lips, a dangerous smile playing on her lips. Stepping closer to him, she heard him suck in a breath, dropping her voice to a whisper she husked in his ear, "I look for a man who knows how to kill."

Tony bent his head a little closer to hers, he could see the slight pink colouration on her cheeks where the cold air burned her skin, he licked his lips again tempted to close the small gap between them. Her hot breath on his skin made him lean a little closer, but before he could do anything she pulled away. His head fell back against the window with a thud, drawing Kelly's attention from where she had been staring at the display.

"What are we doing?" Kelly asked as she eyed the two adults almost suspiciously, looking every bit like her father.

"Nothing." Tony supplied quickly, kneeling in front of her he widened his eyes at her comically, "Are you hungry enough to have a sandwich and ice cream?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Kelly jumped excitedly, grabbing his hand and pulling him after her up the side walk.

Ziva quickened her steps to catch up, her heart still thundering in her ears after what had happened. They had been so close, but she had panicked at the last minute and reality came crashing down around her. Catching up to them, she looked at Tony through her lashes, her cheeks flushed with something other than the cold air.

Tony bumped his hand against hers, hooking his pinky around hers. He winked at her when she met his gaze, hoping to put her at ease with what had happened.

All three of them stumbled through the door, eager to warm up after their brisk walk back to the apartment. Kelly shed her jacket and shivered slightly before heading straight for the kitchen, her appetite larger than before they had left.

Tony hung their coats and Kelly's jacket before following the toddler into the kitchen.

Taking the tub of ice cream out of the bag, Tony smiled to himself, one thing he knew for sure was that most women loved their chocolate – and Ziva did too judging by the flavour she'd picked. Placing the tub in the freezer, Tony picked Kelly up and opened the fridge the both of them scanning the content inside.

"What do you want, Jelly Kelly?" Tony asked the toddler, already knowing what she'd pick he scanned the fridge to make sure he had everything.

"Tomato!" Kelly exclaimed happily.

Tony placed her on the floor, "One very special DiNozzo – tomato, ham, lettuce and cheese – sandwich coming up."

Kelly scampered off to the living room, content to keep herself busy while she waited for her sandwich. Tony pulled the needed ingredients out of the fridge, along with a loaf of bread. He saw Ziva help Kelly dump all her toys on the carpet before joining him in the kitchen.

"Want some help?" Ziva asked, rolling up her sleeves and taking a seat at the kitchen island were Tony was already busy.

"You think you can make me one of those peanut butter sandwiches you're so good at making?" Tony looked at her hopefully.

"Sure."

They worked in silence around each other, each concentrating on their task at hand and keeping the peanut butter away from Kelly's sandwich. Ziva cut Tony's sandwich and placed it near him. She switched on the kettle as she made her way to the dining room where her phone was ringing.

Tony cut Kelly's sandwich in small squares before leaving to call her. She dropped her toys and followed him into the kitchen, keeping quiet since Ziva was on the phone. Tony pointed at her sandwich as she strutted in behind him, he didn't need Ziva shouting at them to keep it down, he showed that she should wait a moment.

He placed Kelly's sippy cup full of juice on the island next to her sandwich, slightly distracted by Ziva's half of the conversation. He took two cups out of the cupboard and placed a tea bag in each, waiting for the kettle to finish boiling.

It wasn't long before Ziva came back into the kitchen, looking a little put off. She had switched over to Hebrew halfway through when she realised Tony had been listening.

"There a problem?" Tony asked as he pulled the milk carton out of the fridge.

"No it is fine." Ziva said flippantly, taking her seat at the island again. She watched as he made them tea before diverting her eyes to the mess he'd made in the process of making Kelly's sandwich. "You already finished your sandwich?" Ziva sounded almost disgusted, "Did you even chew?"

Tony spun around, the carton of milk still in his hand. He looked at Ziva confused, wondering if she'd hit her head on the way back, "What are you talking about? I haven't even touched it yet, I've been making tea ever since you left."

Ziva pointed at the plate on the marble counter, the lettuce sticking out at the sides of the bread, "This is not your sandwich." She stated matter of factly.

The two agents looked at each other at the exact same moment as realisation dawned on them, the blood draining from their features.

"Ziva, Kelly took the wrong sandwich." Tony dropped the carton of milk on the floor in his haste to get to Kelly.

Ziva rushed in after him, her heart pounding twice as fast as usual, cursing herself for placing the plates together.

Tony climbed over the couch, not caring about the marks his boots were leaving on the expensive leather. He felt his body tense as he saw Kelly struggle for breath, one half of the sandwich already eaten. He picked her up and laid her down on the couch and elevated her legs.

"Kelly, you're going to be okay." He tried to sooth her, her eyes were panicked and he knew his looked exactly the same. "Ziva her EpiPen, it's in the blue backpack!"

Ziva grabbed the backpack dumping the content out on the floor.

Kelly's skin was sweaty and already covered in hives. Tony could see she was starting to loose consciousness and having more trouble breathing, "Ziva!" he shout in panic when Kelly started to gurgle, her body convulsing.

Ziva thrust the EpiPen in Tony's hands and turned the little girl on her side. Kelly threw up, her tiny body was already starting to go into shock. Tony pulled the safety cap off with his teeth, pressing it hard against her thigh until it clicked, waiting the required ten seconds.

"Call an ambulance!" Tony shouted, more in anger than the panic he was feeling.

"No, it will take too long, we'll drive." Ziva grabbed her cellphone and Tony's as she headed out the door behind Tony.

Ziva rushed a head of him, opening the door for the staircase. She slid past him again rushing to the bottom floor and shouting for someone to keep the door open.

Kelly was limp in Tony's arms, her breathing shallow as she struggled more and more to breath, her lips starting to turn blue. Tony lifted her higher and held onto her with one arm, the other tapping her cheek softly to get her to gain consciousness, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

"Come on, Kelly, you can't do this to me."

The woman who was holding the staircase door open for him rushed to open one of the large glass doors as well.

Ziva pulled up in front of the door just as he ran outside. Opening the door he placed Kelly on the back seat and slid in next to her. He'd barely closed the door when the tyres squealed and they were off, heading to the nearest hospital. Tony turned Kelly onto her side as she started throwing up again.

"Step on it, Ziva!" Tony shouted at her again, having given in on his blinding panic. Gibbs was going to kill him.

"Tony calm down! Stay calm and try and get Kelly to stay calm, she might breath easier." Ziva snapped at her friend, not wanting to show that she was just as panicked as him.

Fumbling with the buttons on the dashboard she found the small switch for the blue lights hidden in the car's grill. The car's slowly started moving out of their way.

Ziva kept her eyes on the road and one hand on the steering wheel, digging around in her pocket for her cellphone. Finding it, she pressed speed dial and waited for Gibbs to answer his phone. She muttered under her breath as a car refused to move out of the way. All she got was voice mail.

Leaning on the horn she passed the car, and cursed at him in Hebrew. She redialled Gibbs' number and waited for him to pick up. She cursed much louder this time and in English as she got voice mail again. "Catch." She tossed the phone at Tony.

"He isn't picking up." Ziva threw over her shoulder as they sped down the road.

Tony fumbled with the phone slightly. He scrolled through the few contacts until he found the right number, pressing the phone against his ear he waited for someone to pick up while he tried to get Kelly to breath.

The air was cool as they stepped out of the small restaurant, Jenny shivered slightly as a cold wind swept through the buildings. Jethro stepped closer to her, draping his arm over her shoulders and pulling her into his side, letting her steel his body heat. They wandered away from the now buzzing restaurants towards the small shops they'd passed earlier.

"Mmm, I think I'm gonna have to spend some extra time in the gym." Jenny mumbled jokingly as she leaned more against Jethro. She could feel his chest vibrate with laughter.

"Always liked a woman who could eat properly." He growled in her ear, hoping she didn't have the annoying infatuation with counting calories.

"I'll just burn it off." She winked at him.

"I can help with that." He whispered in her ear, enjoying the way her cheeks flushed at what he implied. He smirked at her when she glared at him before breaking out into a grin.

Jenny breathed deeply, taking in his scent and storing it away as something that could only be described as – him. She shivered again, her fingers curling tightly into her clutch as she fought off the cold.

"You cold, Jen?" Jethro asked as she shivered again. He rolled his eyes when she shook her head, he could see she was cold.

Shrugging off his jacket he draped it around her shoulders, pulling her against him again. She'd probably throw a fit about it, but he wasn't going to stand by and watch her shiver the rest of the night.

"Why are you always so warm?" Jenny mumbled softly as she pulled the jacket a little tighter around herself. She wasn't going to complain about being wrapped in his jacket and his scent. He only laughed at her as they wandered past various little shops.

They were quiet, enjoying the closeness. Jethro grit his teeth, the pain in his stomach almost unbearable, he let out a silent breath as the cramp subsided. Something wasn't right and he wondered if he'd had something funky in the last few days that wasn't corresponding well with him.

"Oh, can we go in?" Jenny asked as they stopped in front of an artshop with various paintings on display and some for sale.

Jethro smiled and led her inside, moving with her as she looked over the paintings. He had to admit that some of them were impressive. He gave a slight nod at the woman who emerged from somewhere as she greeted them. He was content to watch Jenny as she asked all sorts of questions about the artists and the paintings.

Checking his watch discreetly, he noted that it was quite late for a toddler to be up and wondered if Kelly was still awake or fast asleep.

"Apparently we missed the display that was on earlier." Jenny informed him as they stepped out of the small store again, "Some young guy's work was on show, that's why there were so many kids."

Jethro only raised an eyebrow, not really interested in what had been going on. Placing his arm around Jenny he rested his hand on her hip as they continued down the walkway past the shops. He ground his teeth together again and this time he couldn't hide his discomfort.

"Jethro, are you okay? You look uncomfortable."

"Just something I ate." He smiled at her tightly and steered her towards the second-hand book store.

Pressing a kiss to her forehead he let her wander off while he headed towards the stack of books near the back off the store. He desperately wanted to collect his thoughts, because he knew he didn't eat anything that made his stomach knot so painfully. Finding a stack of old fairytale books he went through them, hoping to find one he could read to Kelly.

Jenny scanned through the various romance novels. It was some sort of guilty pleasure she had, enjoying whatever steamy love affair the novels held. There were a few that drew her attention, even if it were just because of their raunchy titles. Her moment of indulgence was interrupted as her phone started ringing in her clutch.

Indicating to Jethro that she was stepping outside, she made her way into the cold night and took her phone out of her clutch. She groaned internally when she saw Ziva's number flash on the small screen. A phone call from her only meant one thing, they had landed themselves a case.

Taking a deep breath she answered before it could end, "Hey, Ziva." she'd foregone her usual greeting since she knew who it was.

"Jenny, it's Tony. Why isn't Gibbs answering his phone?!"

Jenny was slightly taken aback at the anger in the young man's voice, and even more so that he was calling from Ziva's phone, "Tony, what's going on. Why are you so panicked?"

"Tell Gibbs to meet us at Bethesda!"

"Tony is it Kelly? What happened?" Jenny felt fear grip at her heart.

"I don't have time to explain! Just meet us there!"

The phone call ended, leaving Jenny equally panicked. She just knew that this whole thing had to do with Kelly. She calmed herself quickly. She felt Jethro behind her, and she knew he was aware that something was wrong.

"Jen, what's wrong, who was that?" Jethro asked with an edge to his voice.

"It was Tony, he said we had to get to Bethesda."

The Dodge came to an abrupt stop just outside the emergency room. Tony pulled Kelly onto his lap, as the door swung open, he looked up into Ziva's eyes and could see she was as scared as he was, she just masked it better. She helped him out of the car and was off shouting at the closest paramedic to help them.

A group of emergency personnel rushed through the sliding glass doors.

"What happened?" The emergency doctor asked as Tony placed Kelly on the stretcher.

Tony looked up at the familiar voice, a brief moment of relief washing over him, "George you've gotta help us. Gibbs is going to kill us if something happens to Kelly."

"Anthony calm down, and tell me what happened." George asked as they rushed the stretcher through the doors and down the corridor.

"She had peanut butter. She's allergic to peanuts." Tony spoke urgently.

George gave him a nod before he turned his attention back to the little girl.

Tony listened as they barked orders, and he felt his heart drop to his stomach as he realised what was going on. He felt Ziva next to him as they watched as Kelly threw up again. A nurse appeared in front of them, pushing them back and closing the curtain so they could work without interruptions. Another nurse appeared from behind the curtain, taking them back to the emergency waiting room.

"Did you give her any medication when the reaction occurred?" The young nurse asked.

"Just her EpiPen. We rushed her here as quick as we could." Tony supplied his hands fisted in his dark hair.

"Has she had previous attacks?"

"Uh, not that I'm aware of. Listen nurse, you gotta get her better, you don't want to face her dad when he arrives and you have no good news."

The nurse gave a curt nod and rushed back to the emergency room.

Tony paced around, his hands still in his hair. He stopped and glared at Ziva, turning his anger towards her. He marched right up to her, stepping into her personal space, "Why aren't you panicking?!"

Ziva glared at him and hit her fist against his chest, causing him to step away from her, she moved towards him, "Of course I'm panicking! Do you realise that if I hadn't put the plates together then none of this would have happened!"

"No! This is my fault I don't need you covering for me. I should have made sure she took the right one. I should have checked!" Tony's chest heaved as he stopped shouting. His nerves were getting the better of him.

Ziva's jaw was clenched tightly, trying to stop her jaw from quivering. She was blaming herself for the whole ordeal and she knew that Tony was too. It had been an accident neither of them could have prevented. She didn't want to be responsible for someone else's heartache. She rushed into Tony's open arms, holding onto him as they waited for word from the nurse.

The emergency waiting room was empty. Ziva was seated in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs Tony was right next to her with his hands in his hair. She stared at the impersonal white wall, trying to keep her mind clear of any thought. They were alone and hadn't heard anything yet, and they didn't know where Gibbs or Jenny were.

Tony's head snapped up as he heard the commotion going on outside the swinging wooden doors. Looking over at Ziva he stood and made his way to the door, looking through the small window.

Pushing open the door he heard the harsh voice echoing around the empty emergency room.

The nurse behind the reception desk jumped as the man in front of her slammed his fist down on the desk, she'd dealt with angry people before but she'd never seen something like this before. An older nurse came into view, her steps angry and quick as she marched up to the man who was harassing one of her girls, she was willing to bet that he was drunk.

"Excuse me sir, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down." She said sternly, glaring at the back of a dark head of hair.

"What?!"

"Jethro, please calm down." Jenny pleaded softly, she was just as terrified as him. His anger and silence had scared her on the way here and his outburst made her fearful of what might happen when he saw Tony.

The nurse stepped back, holding out a hand, she blinked, "Jethro?"

"Where's my daughter, Anita?" Jethro snapped angrily, he didn't have the time or the patience for pleasantries.

"Let me check." Anita stepped behind the desk trying to find some information.

The creak of the wooden doors opening drew Jethro's attention to his senior field agent. He felt every muscle in his body coil in anger, before he knew it he was off, his vision blurred with anger. He could feel his nails bite into his palm as his fingers curled into a tight fist.

Tony took a step back, hitting the wall.

Jenny drew a soft gasp as Jethro rose his right arm, "Jethro, no!"

Jethro faltered his fist slamming into the wooden door.

His shoulders heaved with each heavy breath he took.

Tony looked straight into Gibbs' eyes, his own eyes large and in shock. He had half expect the force of the blow to hit him. Instead the punch had landed right next to him, looking over Gibbs' shoulder he could see that Jenny was as shocked as he was with what had happened.

Jethro's breathing came out in small angry shudders, surprised by his own actions. He'd been instinct driven the moment he saw Tony, knowing something had happened but not knowing what. If Jenny hadn't called for him he probably would have punched his agent, his friend. Dropping his hand to his side he took a step back.

Reigning in his anger, he spoke, "What happened?" he was calm, too calm.

"Boss, I turned my back for a second and then before I-" Tony looked at Gibbs with large eyes as he was interrupted.

"What happened?!"

"She ate peanut butter." Ziva supplied from where she had been standing a few feet away from Tony.

Jethro closed his eyes tightly, trying to keep his panic at bay.

Jethro pressed his hand against his forehead, taking a deep breath. He felt a small hand slip into his free hand and squeeze hard enough to draw his attention to the redhead. He met her soft green eyes, and in that moment he knew he didn't have to go through this alone.

Staring into her eyes he could see the guilt behind the emerald orbs, the knowledge that if she hadn't insisted they go out then none of this would have happened. He wanted to reassure her that it wasn't her fault, but he didn't trust himself to say anything, he was terrified that they'd be getting the worst news.

"George is on his way." Anita, the head nurse, said as she walked past the small group of people.

Jethro nodded, taking Jenny's hand firmly in his, he made his way towards the wooden doors that led to the emergency room.

A young nurse pushed through the door, her eyes scanning for the couple from earlier who had been with the little girl they had treated. She saw them and gave them an assuring smile as she walked closer to them, she halted slightly when the man pointed to the other gentleman who seemed about ready to rip someone apart.

Swallowing nervously she stepped towards him, "Family of Kelly Gibbs?"

Jethro nodded, "Yes, I'm her father. Can I see her? Is she okay?"

"Doctor Connor is having her moved to a private room. She's experienced Anaphylactic shock, it wasn't too serious and the administration of her EpiPen had prevented any serious damage. The fact that she could be treated so quickly also helped. Doctor Connor said he'd meet you as soon he gets a chance."

"Which floor is she on?" Jethro asked, slowly moving to the elevator.

"Fourth floor. The nurse on duty will be able to tell you which room." The young woman smiled at them before rushing back into the emergency room.

Jethro slammed his hand against the button, anxious to get to the fourth floor. He heard Tony and Ziva walk behind them. He wasn't sure whether he was angry with them or if he was thankful for their quick reaction. Jenny was squeezing his hand nervously and he could tell that the guilt was consuming her, he could see the trace of tears in her eyes.

The metal doors slid open and Jethro stormed in, jabbing the button for the fourth floor he didn't wait for Ziva or Tony to make up their mind, they were either coming or staying.

Jenny let go of Jethro's hand as the silver doors slid open, he was moving too fast for her to keep up with him. She felt Tony's hand on her shoulder as they followed behind Jethro, she looked up at him seeing the torment in his eyes. Kelly meant the world to him as well and the fact that this had happened on his watch was eating him up.

Jethro searched the doors for the number the nurse had given him. He was too consumed with seeing his daughter that he didn't give much thought to anything else. Finding the right door, he opened it quickly.

Jethro grit his teeth tightly, fighting every emotion that threatened to surface. It felt as if the walls were closing in on him as he stared at Kelly. He walked up to the bed slowly, his feet feeling heavier with each step. He didn't want to see her like this, it just added more guilt to his conscience – guilt that he hadn't been there when she needed him the most.

Kelly's skin was still flushed and full of hives. The swelling on her face had gone down some, but she had a nasal cannula to help her breathe easier. Her skin was slightly cold and clammy to the touch. Kelly stirred slightly as her father rested a hand on her forehead and pressed a protective kiss to her temple.

"I'm so sorry, baby girl." Jethro whispered with difficulty as he tried to swallow against the lump in his throat.

Sinking down on the bed, Jethro rested a hand on Kelly's chest, reassuring himself that she was breathing. He blinked against the stinging in his eyes. He was content to just look at her while she breathed.

The door squeaked behind him, but he didn't turn to look at who had come in.

"Quite the little warrior you've got there." George commented as he hung his stethoscope around his neck. Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his white lab coat, he stepped closer, meeting the other man's gaze, "I want to keep her over night, just to make sure. She was in shock, which made it look worse than it actually was, but I'll still be sending her for tests in the morning just to be sure."

"But she's going to be okay?" Jethro didn't look up from looking at Kelly.

"She'll be just fine, Jethro." George clapped him on the shoulder, "My shift ended an hour ago so I'll be leaving, the doctor on call is one of the best if you have more questions she'll be able to answer them."

The door squeaked again as George left.

It wasn't long before another presence entered the room. Jethro sighed, he didn't know if he had it in him to face Tony. He could feel the younger man hesitate and almost leave. He twisted slightly, looking over his shoulder at the younger man.

"What is it, DiNozzo?" Jethro grumbled, turning back to Kelly.

Tony fisted a hand in his hair again, he was rendered motionless. His words seemed to slam together in his throat as he tried to force out an apology, he doubted a simple sorry would suffice. He was regretting his decision to face Gibbs right next to Kelly's hospital bed; the tone of the older man's voice had indicated that he didn't have the patience to sit and listen to him trying to find a way to apologise for what had happened. Why did he let Jenny talk him into facing his boss?

Tony grit his teeth and squared his shoulders, he was going to do this come hell or high water. Scuffing his boots on the linoleum floor softly, he walked to the opposite side of Kelly's bed, not sure if he could chance standing so close to Gibbs.

"There somethin' you wanna say, Anthony?" Jethro snapped as the young man.

Tony's eyes widened slightly, Gibbs never called him by his full name, not even when he messed up. For the briefest moment he thought he might be out of a job come Monday.

"I'm sorry, Gibbs..." Tony placed a gentle hand on Kelly's much smaller one as she laid in the large hospital bed, not wanting to meet the older man's gaze, "If I had paid attention, then maybe we wouldn't be here right now."

"No, I shouldn't have left her." Jethro moved a few stray curls from Kelly's forehead, "I should have listened to my damn gut."

"You couldn't have known this would happen." Tony took a seat on the bed, twisting so he could look at his boss.

Pressing his lips together tightly and shaking his head, Jethro tried to ignore his senior agent's words. He didn't like the idea of not knowing when something bad was going to happen. His main goal after Kelly had been born was to protect her from anything that could hurt her, and in a way he had failed her when her mother had been taken away.

"Go home, Tony, take Ziva with you. Get cleaned up. There's no point in the two of you hanging around here." Jethro sighed as he looked at Tony, "It's not an option."

Tony closed his mouth, not really sure where he stood with Gibbs. Nodding, he squeezed Kelly's hand as she slept and made his way back to the squeaking door. He stopped and turned back to look at Gibbs, "Jethro, I really am sorry."

"I know." Tony could hear the thickness in the other man's voice and slipped out the door to give him some privacy.

Jenny looked up as the door creaked open, looking up she watched as Tony slipped out of the private room, looking better than when he had gone in. Standing quickly she moved to him, this time resting her hand on his shoulder, "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. He wants us to go home," Tony looked over at Ziva, "don't wanna piss him off any more."

She nodded silently, she'd been quiet since she had told Gibbs what had happened. Offering her his hand Tony pulled her out her seat, draping an arm casually over her shoulders. Her eyes were hard and void of any emotion. He knew she was feeling guilty, probably more than he was at the moment, he also knew that he had no words of comfort to make her feel better about what had happened.

Jenny said goodnight and watched as they headed towards the elevator, leaving her alone in the empty hallway. She chewed the inside of her cheek, not sure if Jethro wanted her in there with them. They were all trying to take the blame for something that could have happened at any given moment, but somehow it felt like she was to blame.

She felt like she had almost forced Jethro into agreeing for Tony and Ziva to take Kelly, since he clearly didn't want to leave her with anyone other than Joann. Somewhere in the back of her mind she came to the conclusion none of this would have happened if they had stayed at home, since he had no trace of anything peanut related in his house. She was willing to bet neither did Joann.

Pulling the jacket she still had around her shoulders a little tighter she sank back in her seat. Leaning her head against the cold and impersonal hospital wall, she stared at nothing in particular much like Ziva had a few minutes ago.

Jenny closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She felt the tears sting the back of her eyes, she didn't think she had it in her to face Jethro right now. The hurt in his eyes had torn right through her and had knocked down every wall she had ever constructed to stop herself from actually feeling something. She knew he was thinking of his wife whom he had lost, as well as his mother. The raw emotion in his eyes for that brief moment had made her realise that she didn't just care for him.

She loved him.

And she was willing to do anything not to see the pain in his eyes again.

The door squeaked and she quickly opened her eyes. Jethro was standing next to her looking at her with eyes more guarded than usual. Standing, she placed a soft hand on his cheek, stroking the tender skin softly, "How is she?"

"Asleep," Jethro sighed.

Jenny dropped her hand form his cheek to his shoulder, kneading the tense muscles slightly. Stepping closer to him, she slipped her other arm around his waist, hugging him tightly. His arms wrapped around her and held her to him. He squeezed his eyes shut and inhaled her scent, hoping to find something that calmed him.

"You don't have to stay, I'll understand if you want to head on home." Jethro held her at arms length, his other hand cupping her cheek in turn, his thumb brushing across her lip softly.

"I'm not going anywhere." Jenny pressed a soft kiss to his lips before sliding past him and going into Kelly's room.

It was somewhere near midnight when a nurse had wheeled two cots into the room, she'd taken the initiative when she had done her first round after taking over the shift. She had rolled her eyes when the little girl's father had protested that he wouldn't need it.

Jenny emerged from the bathroom, dressed in something more casual. She'd called Noemi and told her about what had happened and had asked for a change of clothes. The older woman had almost been hysterical when they wouldn't let her into the ward. Jenny had rushed to get her sea bag and had promised Noemi that she would keep her up to date with what was going on.

Jethro was propped in a chair, staring at Kelly as if she was going to disappear into thin air. He'd been in a brooding mood ever since he'd realised his phone had died which was why Ziva hadn't been able to reach him earlier.

Jenny padded around the room in her socks, trying to find the hair tie she had dropped. Spotting it in the corner of the room, she picked it up and threw her hair into a messy ponytail, tendrils of red hair escaping the hair tie. She blew some of her hair out of her face and pulled one of the plastic chairs next to Jethro's.

She didn't bother with asking him if he was okay, she could see the worry in his eyes each time she glanced at him. The fact that Kelly hadn't woken up in the last two hours they had been watching over her, was causing concern for the both of them. The nurse had reassured them that it was normal and that such a violent attack was taxing for such a small body.

Jethro felt Jenny place her hand over his, he laced his fingers with hers and settled a little more in his own uncomfortable plastic chair. Jenny being there with him meant more to him than he was willing to admit. He'd half expected her to constantly ask him if he were okay and if he wanted to talk about it. Instead she had moved around quietly, arranging the cots in a corner of the room out of their way, leaving him to brood in silence and on his own. The silent message was clear, she was there if he wanted to talk.

"Some date huh?" He just wanted to hear her voice for a few minutes, just to take his mind off all his failures in life.

Jenny sensed his need of distraction and moved her chair closer to his, resting her head on his shoulder, "You can say that again." she snuggled a little closer to him, "I wasn't aware you had such good driving skills."

"You spend enough time around Mike Franks, it starts rubbin' off on ya." Gibbs replied, running his thumb over hers to distract himself.

"The first time I got in a car with Ziva, we were in London." Jenny shook her head and pressed her forehead into Jethro's shoulder, looking almost pained by the memory, "Driving at break neck speed on the wrong side of the road and weaving through traffic can do a number on you."

"Would hate to have her and Mike in the same car." Jethro said after a while, shaking his head at the thought.

Jenny smiled slightly, she'd like to meet Mike one day. Turning her watchful gaze back to the hospital bed she watched as Kelly's chest moved with every breath she took. There was still some swelling, but not as much as earlier, the nasal cannula was still in place. The angry red hives were almost gone, leaving her looking pale.

"It's surreal to see her this still." Jenny frowned, she was too used to Kelly bouncing around and asking questions and singing some tune of a song, slowly driving her father crazy.

Jethro didn't say anything. He was reliving nights he had deprived himself of sleep just to watch his daughter's shallow breathing. In the beginning just after Shannon's funeral he'd stare at Kelly, convinced that she wasn't breathing.

It was just after two in the morning, the room's lights had been dimmed and Jenny had fallen asleep when the silence had gone on for too long. She had curled up in her chair and her chin rested on her chest, refusing to move when Jethro tried to wake her.

Pulling himself to his feet, Jethro moved to the window over looking the rest of the city. His muscles were cramping from being in the same position for too long. He rolled his shoulders and felt them pop, relieving some tension. Turning back to the room he looked straight at a pair of sleepy emerald orbs.

"Did I wake you?" He murmured softly.

Jenny rubbed her eyes, shrugging her shoulders. Jethro rolled his eyes at himself, of course he woke her she was a special agent after all. He watched as she mewled softly, stretching, looking almost cat-like.

Movement on the hospital bed drew both their attention.

Kelly's eyes fluttered open, her hands moving up to the cannula in her nose. She pulled at it in panic, her eyes darting around the room. She opened her mouth as wide as she could but she was unable to breath.

Jethro was next to her in a heartbeat, "Kelly!" he shouted. She was staring at him with terrified blue eyes as she tried to breath. He pried her hands away from the cannula and placed it back in her nose, her body was already starting to go into shock.

Jenny had already left the room to find a nurse.

Kelly started gurgling again.

Jethro turned Kelly onto her side as quickly as possible; her tiny body heaved as she threw up. There was nothing left in her stomach and she started producing bile. Jethro tried to stay calm for Kelly's sake, talking to her calmly until someone arrived.

The night staff burst through the door, the doctor on call in tow.

Jethro fought one of the male nurses as he tried to move him away from the bed, "What's happening?!"

"Sir, you're going to have to step outside please." The male nurse pushed him away from the bed more forcefully, making room for the doctor.

"Get him out of here nurse." The doctor spoke calmly, not once looking away from Kelly.

The nurse pushed him out the door and closed it quickly and moving back to the doctors side and assisting.

Jenny had her hand clasped tightly over her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Jethro. He was looking at her with panicked blue eyes, the fear clearly showing on his face for the first time. She rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around him, "She's going to be okay."

Jethro squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to cry. He held Jenny close, praying.

"Tell me she's going to be okay." Jenny demanded softly.

Jethro held her face in his palms, looking her straight in the eye, "She's going to be okay." his voice held the barest hint of a quiver as he spoke.

Pulling her into him again, he looked through the small window, watching as the medical personnel moved around the room. His eyes stung and each time he blinked his vision blurred slightly. Biting his tongue he forced his emotion back down, wanting to feel nothing as they waited.

The door swung open, and Kelly's bed was wheeled out into the hallway. The doctor stepped out of the room, pulling the surgical mask from her face, "Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs?"

They didn't have the guile to correct her.

"Kelly is stable. She had a second attack, it's not uncommon for people with severe allergies. I am a little concerned because of her young age. I'm sending her for tests as we speak, I don't want to be surprised in the morning."

"What kind of tests?" Jethro asked roughly.

The doctor motioned for them to walk with her as they headed towards the elevator, "I'll be sending her for a CT scan first, just to make sure there is no brain damage. Then we'll draw some blood to make sure there's no damage to her kidneys. We'll do some additional tests, just to cover all our bases."

Jethro grit his teeth, he could feel Jenny's nails dig into him with each word the doctor spoke.

"You are welcome to come with and wait while we do the tests." The doctor stepped aside as they rushed into the elevator.

Minutes turned into hours as they waited for the test results. Jethro looked at his watch, it was already four in the morning. Jenny was pacing up and down the hall, still only wearing her pink socks, her shoes forgotten. Jethro pressed the heel of his palm into his eye, forcing the fatigue away. He was too distracted to notice the doctor step out one of the rooms.

"Jethro," Jenny said as she marched back up the hallway in her pink socks.

Jumping to his feet Jethro crowded the doctor, "Is she okay, what did the tests say?"

"She's perfectly fine. There was no damage done. Although the additional tests do show that she has Arrhythmias – a heartbeat that is either too fast or too slow. In her case it is slightly faster than usual. Now this is no cause for concern, we all experience it at least once in our life time. It will go away as soon as her body has recovered as she's up and about."

Jethro blinked at the doctor. He couldn't find the words to thank her.

"Thank you." Jenny thanked the doctor.

"If you'll excuse me." The doctor smiled before rushing off to the emergency room as her name was being called.

They followed behind Kelly's bed silently until they were back on the fourth floor and in her room. Jethro hadn't said a word since talking to the doctor. Jenny licked her lips, she could sense he wanted to be alone for a while.

"I'll go find us some coffee." Jenny kissed the side of his head before slipping out the door, this time with her shoes on.

Jethro stared at Kelly as she laid in the large hospital bed. He could still see the fear in her eyes whenever he closed his. The perilous fear that gripped his heart was still lingering over him, his chest hurt whenever he thought about how helpless he'd been.

The whole situation was crashing down around him. He wasn't always going to be around to prevent something from happening to her. The same way he hadn't been there to protect Shannon when she had put herself in danger, if he had he could have stopped her from testifying.

He saw all kinds of evil every day of his life, his job demanded that of him, it also demanded that he put his life on the line to protect others and his own family. He could deal with those, but there were things he just couldn't see coming.

Turning away for a moment he stared out the window again, his eyes were burning, whether it was from a lack of sleep or the emotions he had been fighting he wasn't sure. In a moment of weakness he blinked and felt the moisture on his cheek.

The lump in his throat prevented him from swallowing, causing him to choke slightly for breath. It was essentially what caused his defences to crumble.

Silent tears rolled down his cheeks.

He hadn't been this vulnerable since the moment he found out Shannon had been ripped away form him. The realisation that Kelly's life could possibly have ended prematurely, brought him down to earth for a moment, and hard. Moving back to the bed he took his seat.

A soft hand pressed against his shoulder, he closed his eyes, not wanting her to see him like this. He had hoped she wouldn't be back so soon. He took a shuddering breath. The other hand tilted his head up, forcing him to look at her, but he refused to open his eyes. Trembling fingers brushed at his cheeks, wiping the tears away. Pulling Jenny against him he buried his face against her abdomen.

A hand rested on the crown of his head and the other on his back, and he drew strength from her.

The quiet hospital started getting busy as the night sky turned into day. Various nurses came in and out of the room, checking on Kelly and answering any questions that they might have. The only thing they waited for was for Kelly to wake up.

Jethro drank from the tall Styrofoam cup Jenny had given him just before leaving. She was on and errant to fetch him some clean clothes and to find something to eat other than the drab tasteless hospital food, she'd also promised to bring him a cup of decent coffee. He pursed his lips slightly as he looked out over the rest of the city.

He had phoned Joann as early as possible, explaining what had happened. He had listened to her shout at him for not calling her the moment it had happened, and had then sobbed and apologised telling him she'd be there as soon as possible. He had let Ducky know what had happened and the good doctor had offered to call Abby.

The door squeaked open, drawing Jethro's attention. He stared right at a pair of tired brown eyes, he wondered if she had been alone the night before, the dark circles under her eyes suggested that she hadn't slept any more than he had. Finishing the last of his coffee he dropped the empty cup in the bin and motioned for her to sit.

"I will not be staying long." Ziva spoke softly, not wanting to wake the sleeping toddler.

"Too bad, I could use the company." Jethro took his own seat, "Sit Ziva, you won't get any taller by standing around."

The young woman gave him a confused look, not quite understanding what his comment meant, "I do not understand what my height has to do with standing or sitting."

Jethro shook his head, a slight smile gracing his features, "Ziva, just sit down."

The Israeli gave him a prim look before obeying and sitting next to him in one of the plastic chairs. Crossing one leg over the other she took a deep breath and stared at the hospital bed, her thoughts on a different situation that had been more grim than this one.

"I know how you feel about apologising," She started, not looking at the man next to her but something right outside the window.

"Then don't Ziva, there's nothing to be sorry about." Jethro said roughly, he scraped his throat softly.

"And I also do not care what you think," Ziva bit almost snidely, this whole situation was making her uncomfortable, "because I really must apologise for what had happened."

Jethro watched as she twitched her foot nervously, she uncrossed her legs and stood, walking to the window. It was strange how the only escape they saw was through the window. He watched as she clasped her hands behind her back and straighten her shoulders, her whole attitude suggesting that she'd had military training somewhere at a younger age.

He had developed quite the soft spot for the young Mossad officer. He knew she had saved Jenny's life in Prague a year ago and that she had fought tooth and nail to be a liaison officer between Mossad and NCIS. He knew that it had simply been her way of running away from the pain, he'd done the same in a way – leaving California for Washington.

"Last night." Jethro spoke again, this time his voice was smooth and quiet. "It reminded you of Tali." It was a statement, the pain in her eyes was the same as the time she had dropped by his house unannounced. Abandoning his spot he walked to stand next to her.

"Yes," She let out a shuddering breath, "I would never have forgiven myself if I had put you through the pain of losing a child."

Jethro placed a finger under her chin, making her look at him, "Ziva you helped her. This, last night, it could have happened at home as well." he winked at her, "I forgive you, even if it wasn't your fault."

Ziva gave him a watery smile and he pulled her in for a tight hug.

The door flew open announcing the arrival of one Tony DiNozzo and Abby Sciuto. Tony winced as the door banged against the wall loudly, he held up a hand at his boss in apology and closed the door behind them. Abby ignored every one in the room except the tiny person in the bed, she rushed towards it.

"Oh my gosh! She's going to be okay right? Right?" Abby's words came out in a jumble, she looked at everyone panicked, "Right?!"

"Abs, calm down. She's fine." Jethro applied slight pressure to Ziva's shoulder as he spoke.

"Oh Gibbs, are you okay? Are you holding up? I know she means the world to you; I mean why wouldn't she, she's your daughter and it's always tough to go through something like this when it's family. I know you feel for us when we're hurt cause we're family too, but she's like family family-"

"Abby!" They all snapped together. The Goth pressed her lips together tightly, dropping her handbag haphazardly on the floor she rushed towards Gibbs, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Everyone's fine Abs." He whispered and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Ziva stepped away from them and went to stand next to Tony. He draped an arm over her shoulder's casually, or he hoped it was casual. He'd convinced her after copious amounts of alcohol that she stay and she had. She looked up at him through her lashes and her eyes shined a little and he knew she had been close to crying.

Abby entertained them for the next half an hour, taking their minds of the fact that Kelly still hadn't woken up. Jethro was close to chasing them out when a nurse had swooped in and did it for him. Their bickering was grating on his nerves and as much as he appreciated their concern he wanted some peace and quiet.

Kelly twitched slightly and he was by her side, she stirred a little more and felt a brief panic.

A pair cobalt blue eyes stared up at him, Kelly reached up to pull at the cannula but her father stopped her. Seeing her lower lip start to quiver Jethro scooped her up in his arms holding her tightly against him, his eyes closed as he held her. The commotion of the team must have drawn her back to a conscious state of mind.

"Daddy." She whimpered softly, fisting her small hands in his dress shirt.

"Shh, honey, don't cry. I'm here." Jethro tried soothing her, feeling her tears soak through his shirt.

"My throat hurts." She said hoarsely, pressing her face further into her father's side, "Everything hurts." she grumbled and snuggled into her father.

Jethro laughed and stroked her hair comfortingly. She wasn't a very good patient when she was sick or hurting, she constantly nagged about everything and refused to take her medicine saying it tasted icky unless it was flavoured. In retrospect she was her father – just a smaller version.

Jethro called for the nurse, knowing they'd want to check her over now that she was awake. The nurse from earlier appeared, a smile on her face when she saw the little girl awake and brooding slightly.

"I'm nurse Emma." The nurse introduced herself to the little girl, smiling warmly at her young patient, "Do you think you can let go of your daddy while we do some exercises?"

Kelly looked at her father with a frown, her eyes still blinking slowly from fatigue. He nodded at her discreetly and she slid off his lap to look at the nurse, she flopped down on the bed. She did everything the nurse asked her to, she kept fidgeting with the cannula until the nurse took the annoying piece of plastic out of her nose once she proved that she could breathe on her own.

"She seems to have recovered rather quickly. I'll let doctor Connor know she's awake and have him up here as soon as possible, if everything is in order she can go home bright and early tomorrow morning." The nurse turned back to Kelly, "Are you hungry?"

Kelly buried her face in her father's side shyly and crawled onto his lap, "Yes."

The nurse smiled at Jethro and left room.

The day had progressed without any incident, George had dropped by at lunch time and had confirmed the nurse's words. Kelly would be released as soon as her eyes opened the following morning. She had been placed on a one day diet of mashed potatoes and Jell-O just to get something solid in her stomach before she could eat regularly again.

Jethro moved one of the cots to the opposite wall of the rather spacious private room. After everything had calmed down around him and had returned to some semblance of normality, he had found himself increasingly drawn towards Jenny, he'd always been drawn to her but something was different.

He could hear Kelly babble on the other side of the bathroom door, who was still adamantly refusing to take a bath. Jenny had somehow convinced her that taking a shower was far better than bathing and the toddler had agreed. Jethro filed away the information for the next time she refused to get in the tub. He rested his head against the wall and listened to the two of them talk.

"Daddy, Jenny says girls are better than boys." Kelly informed her father matter of factly as she rushed out of the bathroom, looking far better than earlier.

Jethro raised his eyebrows, he didn't want to get into this conversation, they were two against one and Jenny was far better at reasoning than he was. He caught the smirk on Jenny's face as she emerged from the bathroom.

"Eat your Jell-O, Kel." Jethro coaxed, wanting to get her off the topic. He placed her on her bed and pushed the bowl towards her, she poked the Jell-O with her spoon making the gelatine jiggle before starting to eat.

Jethro made sure she ate her food before looking at the woman who was sitting next to him. She was dressed in his t-shirt again and a pair of loose fitting sweatpants and he couldn't help but think she looked sexier in the slightly worn-out clothing. The black dress hadn't hurt but the loose fitting clothes made him far more curious about what was underneath.

She moved a little closer to him, burying her cold feet under his thigh and smiling at him when he felt how cold her toes were. Kelly had refused to be cuddled between them, she was liking the fact that her bed was so high in the air. She'd even asked if her father was willing to build her a bed as high as the hospital bed, he had told her in a rather fatherly way that she should think again.

"You sure you want to stay the night?" Jethro asked quietly, keeping a watchful eye on Kelly as she still poked at her Jell-O occasionally while eating it.

"We've slept together before." She whispered in his ear, causing goosebumps to break out over his arm. He could remember their stakeout vividly. He smirked at her and narrowed his eyes slightly at her insinuation. He pulled her hair playfully and let her rest her head on his shoulder. Taking a breath he turned to look at Kelly as she stuffed jelly in her cheeks, he shook his head, he couldn't remember one occasion where she didn't play with her Jell-O.

He didn't scold her this time, he was content to just watch her.

The front door swung open with a loud thud, the door hit the wall and tiny feet pattered into the foyer. A poor attempt at a whistle echoed through the quiet house, when there was no movement or noise, the toddler reverted to shouting, "Yoda!"

The sound of nails clattering against the wooden floors sounded above her and she skipped to the bottom step, waiting eagerly for her pup to welcome her home. She squealed excitedly as the young Boston Terrier stormed down the stairs, dropping the sandal he had been chewing so he could lick her face in welcome. He let out something between a bark and a snort and flopped down on his back waiting for his tummy to be scratched.

"I missed you." Kelly informed her fury friend before hugging him to her. Yoda yapped at her happily and licked her in the face, almost in her mouth. She giggled and patted his head softly, scratching his ears when he nudged her hand with his head. He snorted in contentment at the attention.

Jethro pulled his face in disgust as Yoda licked Kelly again, growling at the dog he shooed the both of them into the living room. He glared at the chewed shoe that lay on the steps, it wasn't the first time he'd found something chewed other than the various chew toys he'd bought for the teething pup. He was still glaring when Jenny came in, closing the door behind her.

"I'll pull his teeth if he chews my boots." Jethro muttered darkly, looking at Jenny from the corner of his eye. He ignored her grin and headed to the laundry room, he wasn't looking forward to doing laundry but he had to if he wanted to avoid the pile of clothes to grow even larger.

Ignoring the ever growing pile of laundry, he threw his and Kelly's dirty clothes in the laundry basket and pulled the door shut. He set about starting a pot of coffee, since the diner had freshly run out of his favourite bitter brew just as he wanted a last cup. Kelly had been squeamish just as she finished her food, forcing them to leave the diner quickly. Although he didn't blame her, he didn't want to see the inside of a hospital for a while.

The soft snickering coming form the living room drew him to the door, he peaked around and watched as Kelly and Jenny played with the various toys that always littered the floor. He smiled and turned back to the percolator. Jenny had fallen asleep not long after Kelly had last night, he'd tucked the both of them in before he'd settled in his own cot. It had taken him significantly longer to fall asleep, the last few days had rushed through his mind at warp speed as he tried to sort everything.

Stacking the few dishes in the sink he heard the beep of the percolator and washed two mugs. Pouring a generous amount of coffee in each cup, he found one of Kelly's less used sippy cups and poured her some orange juice. Managing both cups and the sippy cup he trudged to the living room, sinking down on the couch.

Placing his cup near his feet, he moseyed to the fireplace. Stacking a neat pile of firewood in the hearth, it wasn't long before he had a nice fire crackling. Standing to his feet he placed the lighter in the small wooden box he kept on the mantel out of reach of prying little hands. Turning, he saw Yoda slink towards his cup of coffee.

"Yoda," He snapped menacingly, causing Jenny and Kelly to giggle.

"Daddy play with." Kelly demanded sweetly, she gave him a cheeky smile when he huffed and plopped down next to Jenny. He wasn't exactly sure he wanted Jenny to see him act like some darling king, at least the tiaras were safely packed away in Kelly's room.

An hour into their make believe game with Jenny and Kelly, he was extremely glad his daughter was a perfect blend between tomboy and girly. He had been relieved when she had presented him with a bucket of toy soldiers – thanks to Mike Franks – and various miss matched Dinky Toys that had been his as a young boy. There was only one of them that truly mattered and it was safely tucked away with his and Shannon's wedding bands along with his dog tags.

He was currently in possession of Ken, dressed to the nines in Army regalia. He scowled as Jenny as he was forced to act out his part in their little game. The woman in question was playing the part of Strawberry Shortcake, because Kelly had informed them it matched her hair. He remembered the day Joann had given the doll to Kelly telling him that she'd bought it in the spur of the moment, that she'd always thought she'd have a granddaughter, hence the classic 80's look of the doll – but he personally thought it reminded her of Shannon.

"Daddy?" Kelly's small voice broke through his thoughts, drawing an almost apologetic smile from him.

Clearing his throat he raised his eyebrows at her, "Yeah?" he drawled.

"Kiss the bride." She cried happily, waiting with bated breath for his Ken and Jenny's Strawberry Shortcake to kiss.

Jethro scowled at the plastic doll he was stuck with, its mocking smile pissing him off even more. He looked at Jenny who was holding the rag doll up expectantly, looking almost just as anxious as Kelly. Pulling his face slightly, he held the doll out at an acceptable distance for him and had it make the appropriate mwha!, for a kiss.

"No, daddy." Kelly whined, she had a Troll Doll in her hand that had acted as the priest in their little ceremony. Kelly shifted around on her knees and glared at her father, "Make them kiss like you and Jenny kiss."

He wasn't exactly sure which one of them had flushed first, but the pretty shade of pink that tinged Jenny's cheeks made him want to kiss her instead of making their dolls kiss. When both ladies looked at him, he rolled his eyes and made Ken kiss Strawberry Shortcake.

Kelly clapped happily when the quick kiss was over and took the toys and tossed them in the plastic box that served the purpose of keeping her toys together, which it never actually did. Yoda was sitting dutifully next to Kelly, a pair of bunny ears on his head courtesy of Jethro Gibbs because he had tried to drink his coffee.

Sighing, Kelly hopped to her feet and walked to where her father was seated on the floor. She looked at him a little shyly, something she did when she was asking him something he might say no to. Wrinkling her nose at him cutely, Kelly placed her small chubby hands on his cheeks, rubbing his stubble lightly. "Daddy," she gave him a toothy grin, "can we have s'mores?"

Jethro narrowed his eyes at her, pretending to think it over. It was a small treat they indulged in whenever there was a fire crackling in the hearth and they had some time before bed.

"I guess," He pressed his forehead against hers, "think Jenny wants some?"

Kelly skipped towards the redhead and crawled onto her lap, "Jenny, do you like s'mores?"

Jethro shook his head at his daughter's attempt at starting a conversation.

Jenny listened intently as Kelly told her exactly how her daddy made her s'mores and that she wasn't allowed near the fireplace at all. She'd long since lost track of time and had pushed the thought that she had to go home out of her mind. She was ever so often reminded of what happened when Kelly had her second attack, and in all honesty she didn't feel like returning to her empty house.

"Did you make s'mores with your daddy?" Kelly asked as she twirled one of Jenny's red locks around her finger.

Jenny was slightly caught off guard by the question, she almost thought about saying no but she couldn't get it over her heart to lie, "Uh, yeah, sometimes."

Jethro narrowed his eyes as he stood in the dining room, Jenny never mentioned family or leaned in that direction. She always changed the subject before someone could pry any further, he'd noticed she had done the same when they were visiting his father. He had pretended he hadn't heard her, and he was going to ignore it again for the sake of keeping the peace between them, but he was going to corner her sooner or later.

"We're all out of cracker's and chocolate, Kel. So we'll just have the marshmallows." Jethro took his seat next to Jenny in front of the fireplace and handed her a stick to spear her marshmallows with.

Placing Kelly on his lap he let her place the fluffy white marshmallow on the end of the stick. Taking it from her he held it over the naked flame, letting the marshmallow melt on the inside and waiting for it to turn light brown. Letting the marshmallow drop in a small paper plate, they waited for it to cool before Kelly could eat it.

Jenny placed her marshmallow in her plate, pulling it apart to allow the gooey inside to cool down a little. She dipped her finger in it and nibbled the stickiness off her finger, unaware that she was being watched. She wrinkled her nose when the marshmallow had cooled too much to do it again. Her eyes suddenly snapped to a pair of cobalt blues, his eyes met hers and she felt her stomach flutter in anticipation.

"Want some?" She asked, holding her half eaten marshmallow out to him.

"No," He said gruffly, "don't like 'em on their own."

Jenny nodded still sucking on her finger. It didn't really surprise her, he was picky when it came to sweets.

Kelly had fallen asleep halfway through eating her melted marshmallow, and had smeared the sticky sweet all over her father's jeans.

Jenny was on the couch, her legs stretched out in front of her, one arm behind her head and the other resting limply on her abdomen. She could hear Jethro's heavy footsteps as he moved around upstairs. She bit her lip, she knew she had to leave and was surprised at how reluctant she was to actually leave.

Watching the flames as they danced, she relaxed even further. She couldn't get the image of Jethro crying out of her mind. It never occurred to her that, much like the rest of them, he was a living breathing human being. He had a certain image about him, nothing could touch him or affect him. But she'd come to a startling realisation that he felt more deeply than any of them actually did.

She'd allowed a few stray tears of her own to slip. Seeing little Kelly go through such a reaction had almost ripped her apart. She was the sweetest little girl and seeing her in such pain had hurt. Jenny knew she didn't have the slightest idea of what it was like to have a child of her own, but she loved Kelly as if she were her own.

There was a faint grumble above her and the clatter of something followed by Yoda's paws on the wooden floors. She smiled faintly, Jethro adored the dog and tried to hide it by grumbling over every nitty gritty thing he did. Sitting up she looked around for all her belongings, trying to locate everything, she probably needed to go home.

Pulling on her coat she swung her backpack over her shoulder, she wasn't even sure why she'd brought it with her in the first place. Finding the keys to the sedan in the bowl near the front door, she stuffed the keys in her pocket and waited for the heavy footsteps to come down the stairs. She was contemplating throwing caution to the wind, but she wasn't sure it was the right time.

Jethro thundered down the stairs, the Boston Terrier hot on his heels chasing after him. Jethro stopped on the bottom step, looking at Jenny as she stood at the front door, looking torn between leaving and staying. He stuffed his hands in his jeans, wondering if she'd caught a case in the few minutes he'd been away, he hadn't hear her phone.

"Case?" He asked a little gruffly.

Jenny smiled slightly and shook her, adjusting her backpack's strap a little on her shoulder, "No, but it's getting late. Thought that after the weekend you had, you might want to turn in early." it sounded pathetic even to her own ears.

Jethro nodded tersely, stepping off the last step to at least open the door for her. His face was suddenly unreadable. He opened the door slowly allowing her to step out before him. He didn't want her to go, he'd been looking forward to spending some time with her, away from a stuffy over priced restaurant and the panic that accompanied an impersonal hospital room.

Jenny turned on the porch, the dim yellow light making her hair glow prettily. Jethro was right behind her, invading her personal space like he usually did. She rested a hand on his chest, her finger tracing the printed insignia on his t-shirt. Looking up into those startling beautiful blue eyes she placed a hand on his cheek.

"Night Jethro." She stood on her tip toes, pressing a kiss to his lips.

Jethro closed his eyes as she kissed him slowly. He felt her pull away and he wrapped his fingers around her small wrist, stopping her from pulling away any further. He took a slow and deep breath.

Tugging a little she came stumbling towards him, falling against his chest unsteadily. Finding her footing she looked up at him and glared for his slight manhandling. Jethro smirked at her smugly, bringing a roughened palm up to her cheek, he caressed the soft skin with his thumb and watched as her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing became a little heavy.

Jethro leaned down, resting his forehead against hers, his hand still touching her cheek softly. He let go of her wrist and snaked his arm around her, placing his hand on her lower back and pressing her body against his.

"Jenny…" Jethro said huskily, he ran his thumb over her bottom lip, parting her lips slightly. He kissed her again, nibbling her lower lip softly. "Stay."

"Jethro..." Jenny trailed off when he pulled away. She didn't know if they were ready for this step, if he was ready. "We agreed..."

"Don't think I can take things slow any more, Jen." Jethro placed both hands on her hips, he wanted to look at her to gauge her emotions. "If you wanna wait, I'll respect that." Jethro pressed his lips to hers again, kissing her hungrily, nipping her bottom lip gently. She moaned low in her throat. The small voice in her head screaming that after this there'd be no turning back. She parted her lips, eager to taste him again.

Jethro fisted his hands in the red locks, angling her head so he could deepen their kiss. He could feel Jenny grab his hips, pulling him against her. He was surprised at the force with which she kissed him back, and he found himself wanting her even more.

"Jethro," Jenny panted once they broke away, "I don't want to complicate things more than they have to be."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." He kissed her cheek softly, lingering longer than usual.

"You're very convincing." He chuckled softly, the playful glint in his eyes causing her stomach to flutter.

Jenny laced her hands in his cropped hair and pulled his mouth down to hers. She kissed him once, then twice before kissing him feverishly. Jethro pulled her against him, wrapping her in his arms. She pulled away again, licking her lips.

"I think I'll stay." Jenny smiled shyly. Jethro grinned down at her before crashing his lips to hers.

The fire was still crackling in the hearth, the only source of light in the living room. Jenny was sprawled out on the couch, staring into the bright orange flames. The room felt hotter than usual, her skin still hot from the long shower she'd had. Jethro had left her to take her time after he'd had a quick shower, she had used the time to sort through her thoughts. She lay contentedly on the couch, breathing in the smell of his clothes.

Pushing herself up she leaned back, relaxing some more, she'd spent half her time in the shower telling herself that staying was a bad idea. She heard footsteps and lifted her head off the back of the couch, watching Jethro pad across the wooden floor towards her, a cup in each hand. She smiled at him lazily as he eyed her in his clothing.

Jethro handed her one of the steaming mugs, taking a seat next to her and stretching out. She sat crossed legged on the couch, cradling the mug in her hands. She was all too aware of Jethro next to her as he drank his coffee slowly. She sipped the dark liquid in her mug, and was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't the usual bitter brew.

It was hard to distinguish hot chocolate from coffee in the light from the fire. Jenny licked her lips and took another sip from the mug, humming in appreciation. Moving towards him, she curled into his side, her lips right next to his ear, "Didn't think you were the hot chocolate type, Jethro."

"You complainin'?" He asked with a slight growl in his voice.

"That's not what I said. But I do want to applaud your hot-beverage-making skills." She breathed in his hear, watching as his hand tightened on the ear of his mug.

"Mhmm." Jethro hummed, eyeing her warily.

Jenny rolled her eyes, his contentment to communicate in grunts and growls sometimes frustrated her, but it was endearing in a comforting way.

Jethro pried her mug from her hands, placing it on the coffee table with his empty one, she was about to protest that she wasn't finished yet. He pressed a finger against her full lips, his eyes dark as he stared at her mouth, his eyes roamed over her face as he moved closer to her.

Jethro kissed her softly at first, coaxing her slowly into a deeper kiss. He ran his tongue over her lips lightly, silently asking for access, her lips parted and he plunged forward their tongues touching. She tasted like chocolate and marshmallows, and he couldn't remember it ever tasting so good. He grabbed her thigh and pulled her on his lap, both hands resting on her hips, pulling her against him.

He trailed soft kisses over her jaw, enjoying the way she tugged his hair a little roughly when he nipped the sensitive skin in her neck. He soothed the spot with his tongue before moving down. Her pulse fluttered against his lips as he kissed her pulse point. She placed her small hands on either side of his head and tilted his head back, making him look at her.

Jenny pressed her lips against his, drawing him into a kiss and pulling away as he tried to deepen it. He growled at her and she smiled at him wickedly, pressing an open mouthed kiss on his jaw before moving lower. Jenny felt his roughened hands sneak under the oversized t-shirt, his thumbs digging into the soft skin he found.

Jethro's stubble scratched the soft skin of her throat, sending a jolt straight to her stomach. She moaned in his ear as he did it again, "Jethro." he simply kissed the underside of her jaw and turned his attention back to placing kisses along her clavicle. His one hand snaked up her side, his fingers caressing her ribs for a moment before he cupped her breast.

Fisting her hand in his cropped hair she pulled his head back and crashed her mouth against his. She bit his lip a little harder than was necessary and drew a strangled groan from him. She soothed the spot with her tongue, before kissing him deeply, causing his hand on her hip to grip more tightly. He tasted like the bitter brew he loved so much and something sweet that she couldn't quite place.

A growl behind them made both of them freeze.

Jethro looked over Jenny's shoulder to see Yoda staring at them, his rope chew toy between his teeth as he growled at them again. He leaned down on his forelegs with his behind in the air, shaking his small tail ecstatically. He yapped again when neither of them made a move to play with him.

"Scram." Jethro growled at the pup, glaring at him darkly for interrupting. Yoda barked again, his whole body shaking as he shook his tail in excitement.

"I hate that damn dog." Jethro growled against Jenny's cheek as he kissed her lightly.

Jenny laughed a little breathlessly, she leaned her forehead against his and kissed the tip of his nose. "Maybe we should move this else where." She suggested softly.

"I'll lock up, meet you upstairs?" He asked as he kissed along her jaw, he felt her nod and let her slip off his lap and stand to her feet.

Jethro watched as Jenny waltzed across the room, throwing a sultry look over her shoulder just before she disappeared up the stairs. He turned to glare at the Boston Terrier for having extremely bad timing. The pup dropped the rope at his feet and looked at him in anticipation. Jethro rolled his eyes and kicked the knotted rope across the floor.

Yoda shot up the stairs once all the lights down stairs were out, his chew toy still in his mouth. Jethro trudged after him, following him to Kelly's room. His little girl was fast asleep in her bed, cuddled up with her turtle and bear on either side.

Lifting the comforter Jethro glared at the dog until he dropped his toy dejectedly and jumped on the bed, curling up around Kelly's feet. Tucking the two of them in Jethro moved the few stray curls off Kelly's forehead and kissed her temple before heading back into the hall.

Jethro pushed the door open slowly, he poked his head around the door and looked to where Jenny was seated on the edge of the bed, playing with the delicate gold chain around her neck. He smiled at her, trying to put her at ease and slipped into the room, closing and locking the door behind him. By the looks of things she felt as nervous as he did.

"I think our mood has been ruined." Jenny let out a laugh as she spoke, watching as Jethro relaxed against the door. He grinned at her and shook his head a little, probably cursing the dog for interrupting.

"C'mere, Jen." He held out his hand towards her. Jethro watched as she sauntered towards him, the oversized t-shirt and sweatpants only making him want her more. He'd seen her topless before but he knew his memory did her body no justice.

Jenny leaned against him, her bottom lip drawn between her teeth as she bit it sexily. He ran his thumb over her lips, pulling her bottom lip from between her teeth. He leaned down and ran his tongue over the marks her teeth had left. He took advantage of her soft gasp and kissed her with tongue and teeth, biting her bottom lip and lapping the spot with his tongue.

She fisted her hands in his shirt and pushed him against the door, her knuckles digging into his chest a little. She kissed him and bit him in return, making him groan low in his throat. She was aggressive and fighting him for control each step of the way, and it was turning him on quicker than he would have liked to admit.

Jenny pulled away and placed kisses along his jaw, making him growl as she nipped his skin and then sucked the spot, no doubt leaving a blooming mark. She kissed down to the hollow of his throat and heard a thud as he dropped his head back against the door, his hands gripping her hips almost painfully. She grinned against his skin and dropped her hands to the hem of his shirt.

Pulling the old t-shirt over his head, she threw it somewhere and took a step back to admire him for a second. He was lean and muscular, his body more defined than built, but the smattering of hair on his chest made her lunge for him again – she'd always liked a guy with a little hair on his chest. She bit him a little hard on his pectoral muscle and heard his sharp intake of breath.

"Take it you're a biter, not a screamer." Jethro husked in her ear drawing her ear lobe between his teeth and smirking when her skin broke out in goosebumps.

Jenny snapped her teeth at him playfully, "Guess you'll have to find out."

Jethro growled low in his throat and pulled the t-shirt off of her. He raked his eyes over her naked torso – he knew she wasn't wearing bra from his earlier exploration of her breast – but watching her nipples pebble as the cold air in his bedroom touched her skin made him yearn for her even more.

Jenny slid her hands in Jethro's hair as he lowered his mouth to her breasts, his hot mouth closing over one of them. She moaned as he sucked gently, swirling his tongue and setting her entire body on fire. She could feel her arousal coil in the pit of her stomach. "Mmm, Jethro."

He hummed against her breast before moving to the other one, giving it the same treatment. She threw her head back and let him have his way, taking a moment to enjoy the pleasure he was so kindly bestowing upon her. She gasped softly when he crashed his lips against hers and picked her up to wrap her legs around his waist.

Jethro lowered her down gently on the cool sheets – running his hands over her reverently as he knelt on the bed, towering over her. He clenched is jaw tightly as he looked down at her; her enticing red hair spread out over his pillows, her porcelain skin flushed and her eyes clouded with arousal. He had to stop himself from ending everything before it even began.

Jenny raked her nails over Jethro's abdomen, watching the muscles ripple under his skin as he clenched his stomach. She grinned at him wickedly and slipped her hands further down his body, rubbing over the growing bulge of his sweatpants. She hooked her fingers in the waistband and slowly started inching the material down.

Taking advantage of his current state she flipped him onto his back before divesting him of his sweatpants and boxers. He lay naked underneath her, his pupils fully dilated as he stared up at her, his chest rising and falling quickly with excitement. She licked her lips as her eyes flicked down to his arousal, enjoying the way his muscles strained with her action. She leaned down and bit his nipple gently, smiling when she felt his chest vibrate with silent laughter.

Jethro struggled to keep his eyes open as she took him in her soft firm hand. It had been far too long for him to be able to endure such attention without embarrassing himself. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and stopped her ministrations, "Jenny," he swallowed, "it's been a while."

She nodded and leaned down to kiss him, the soft cotton of her sweatpants rubbing against him. He growled low in his throat and flipped her underneath him. Taking the oversized sweatpants off her, he took a moment to appreciate her body.

Jethro placed a chaste kiss on her lips before heading down her body. He ran his tongue over her clavicle before heading to her breasts again. He kissed the sensitive skin tenderly, and moved down her abdomen. He moved further down her body, pulling her one leg over his shoulder. He kissed over her hipbones, kissing the faint bruises left from his fingers.

"Oh, Jethro," The breathlessness in her voice alerted him that she hadn't expected him to pay such intimate attention to her.

Jenny moaned loudly as he ran his tongue over her expertly, his skilled fingers slipping inside her. She bit her lip and fisted her hands in the bedsheets, trying to regulate her breathing. She couldn't remember the last time a man had paid attention to her needs. Her breathing came in soft sharp gasps as he continued.

Jethro stopped the moment he felt her muscles flutter and contract around his fingers. The disappointed noise she made the back of her throat drew a smile from him, he dropped a kiss to the inside of her thigh before he crawled back up her body. He was painfully hard and he couldn't hold out any longer.

"You're a bastard." Jenny panted softly as he settled between her legs.

She drew a ragged breath as she felt his arousal press against her, "On second thought maybe not." she felt him smile against her neck.

Jethro pushed himself up with one hand, the other sliding underneath Jenny to rest on her lower back.

Jenny watched as a brief moment of insecurity flashed in his eyes. She placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him tenderly, silently reassuring him. She wondered briefly if he'd had been with anyone after his wife but pushed the thought away quickly.

Snaking a hand between them, she took him in her hand and guided him. He slid into her slowly before stopping for a moment, giving her some time to adjust to him. Jenny wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively, both arms wrapping around his shoulders.

Jethro grit his teeth against the overwhelming need to give into his need to take her hard and fast, she was so warm and tight. He pulled back slightly before thrusting slowly into her. She mewled in his ear, and it was the only encouragement he needed. He forced his eyes open and watched as she bit her lip in pure pleasure, rocking her hips against his.

Picking up the pace, they rocked together in perfect rhythm. Jenny raked her nails down his back, her heels digging into his ass to make him go deeper. He slammed his hips into hers a little more forcefully, his hand on her back lifting her hips slightly, hitting her just right.

"Oh, oh, Jethro..." She moaned again, "Right there." she was close.

Sinking her teeth into his shoulder, she fisted one hand in his hair the other clutching his butt cheek, her nails pricking his skin. Jethro felt Jenny's muscles flutter around him before her entire body tensed and she moaned into his shoulder. He pulled his arm out from under her, finding one of her hands and lacing his fingers with hers.

Jenny felt Jethro stiffen above her before an intense warmth spreading through her. His hot breath was on her cheek as he started to relax, she wrapped her arms around him keeping him close for a little while longer.

"I'll crush you." Jethro whispered.

He held her close and moved them to lay on their sides. She winced slightly as he slipped out of her, and pulled her tightly against him.

They lay breathless entwined with each other, their bodies slick with precipitation. They were quiet in their post coital haze, exchanging an occasional kiss. Jenny placed her hand on Jethro's chest, feeling his heart still hammering against his ribs, the same way hers was. He took her hand in his much larger one, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles.

She looked at him for a while, her emerald eyes meeting his. His eyes were bright in colour, the usual guarded look gone for a moment. She knew things between them had shifted, it had shifted the moment he had broken down in front of her in a brief moment of weakness.

Swallowing she moved a little closer to him, having a sudden inexplicable need to be near him. He ran his free hand over her side, up to her cheek, stroking the soft skin with his calloused thumb. She smiled at him and pressed her lips to his. They shared a passion filled kiss before they broke apart.

"Jethro," She spoke softly not wanting to break the quiet moment between them.

"Mhmm?" He hummed in question, twirling her red locks around his fingers.

Jenny kissed him again, trying to draw strength and courage from his silence. He looked at her with his cobalt blue eyes and for a moment she lost her nerve, but the softness in his eyes put her a little at ease.

"I love you."

Jenny stared at him with large green eyes. She could see that he'd momentarily shut down, he didn't pull away but she could see that he'd been caught off guard. His eyes were guarded again and for a moment she feared that he was going to reject her in some way.

Jethro didn't answer her, he simply met her gaze and kissed her deeply. He buried his face in her neck and let out a shuddering breath. She could feel him mouth something against her skin. She felt her heartache at the pain she'd seen in his eyes. She held him close, willing to let him draw strength from her.

She was willing to give him time.

You were expecting a 'That'll be the day' didn't you? Maybe next time. ;) I've always thought Gibbs has the ability to cry even if he doesn't. I know I pushed the peanut thing, but sadly I'm not a doctor. Reviews are welcome :)