Twenty-One

Jenny leaned against Gibbs' firm chest and let out a small sigh, at some point in the last two minutes she had turned around and wrapped her arms around his waist, surprising both of them. Leaning her back against him was one thing, wrapping her arms around him was another.

Gibbs had been surprised when Jenny had turned and wrapped her arms around his waist but he had recovered quickly and wrapped his good arm around her back, keeping her tucked safely against him. It had been years since he had held her and although he had always been amazed by how tiny she was without her heels on, the perfect height for him to rest his chin on the top of her head, he was worried by how thin and frail she felt in his arms at that moment. He kept still for a moment before gently running his hand up and down her back, he was waiting for her to step back and comment on how inappropriate them hugging was but she simply rested her forehead against his chest and leaned closer, letting her own hands drift up and down his back.

"I hate to break up whatever version of foreplay this is, God only knows how long it's been since either of you has gotten laid but we don't need to see this." A gruff voice commented.

Gibbs felt Jenny tense slightly in his arms but she didn't try to pull away, he could almost feel her roll her eyes at Mike's words.

"You are aware that this is our house, what we do and where is our choice." Jenny pointed out, not lifting her head from Gibbs' chest.

"I don't give a damn if you two have sex on the counter, I know for a fact it wouldn't be the first time." Mike replied, "I'm just saying you probably don't want your father and daughter watching."

Jenny groaned and tensed in Gibbs' arms, she had forgotten about Jack, she tried to step away but he kept his grip on her firm, only loosening it enough that she could turn around to face Mike and Jack who were standing in the door way, Ava's car seat, Ava sound asleep in it, on the floor between them.

"Hi, Jack." Jenny greeted, grimacing slightly.

"Hello, Jenny, Son." He replied, nodding politely at his son.

Jenny felt Gibbs tense behind her and brought a hand up to rest over his where it was sitting on her abdomen.

"Jack." Gibbs greeted tersely.

"You've got a beautiful family." Jack complimented.

Jenny felt Gibbs arm tighten across her protectively and tried not to roll her eyes, she had no idea why Gibbs and Jack didn't talk but she doubted she had any reason to need protection from the elder Gibbs.

"Jethro." She muttered softly.

She ran her thumb over the back of his hand gently, trying to reassure him that she was fine, that there was no threat but he didn't relax at all, he simply turned his hand and tangled their fingers together. She looked up at him in surprise but he was still staring at Jack.

"Why're you here?" Gibbs asked gruffly, "it's been twelve years, why show up now?"

"Your boss called and told me that you were hurt, couldn't stay away, not while you were hurt." Jake explained.

Gibbs looked down at Jenny accusingly but she only shook her head softly.

"Not me, Leon." She whispered.

Gibbs nodded and turned his eyes back on his father, Jenny didn't envy the man, even though it didn't affect her that much anymore the Gibbs glare was still unnerving.

"Thank you for taking Ava today." Jenny said, attempting to break the tense silence.

"We had a good day." Mike replied, trying to aide Jenny who was looking decidedly uncomfortable, "Probie loosen your grip or your girls hand is gonna fall off." He warned when he saw how tightly Gibbs was gripping Jenny's hand.

Gibbs immediately loosened his grip but didn't drop her hand, Jenny nodded to Mike gratefully and placed her free hand on Gibbs upper arm which was stretched across her chest.

"Pride called yesterday." Mike stated, drawing Gibbs' attention back to him, "wanted to know how you're doin' I'd give him a call if I was you."

Gibbs nodded, "did he say how Laurel and Linda are?" He asked, desperate to talk about or focus on anything but his father.

"Good, he and Linda just celebrated their twentieth." Mike replied, watching as Gibbs relaxed slightly and Jenny let out a small sigh of relief.

"Why don't you go and give him a quick call right now." Jenny suggested gently.

As sure as she was that Jack would want to catch up she knew Gibbs needed a few minutes to get himself together, and she wasn't sure how things would play out if he didn't take a minute to gather himself. Gibbs nodded and squeezed Jenny's hand before reluctantly letting her go. She watched him slip out of the room and let out a shaky breath once he was gone.

"Thank you both again for taking her today." She said, running her hands through her hair.

"He's still angry." Jack stated, completely ignoring Jenny's words.

"We've just had a really long day, Jack, I'm sure that he'll be better by tomorrow." Jenny assured him.

She knew the words were probably a lie but she didn't care, she just wanted a peaceful evening free of anymore drama if she could help it.

"Do you wanna go, or should I?" Mike asked, nodding in the direction Gibbs had gone.

Ava let out a small whimper from her carseat as she began to wake up, Jenny walked across the room and carefully lifted her out of the carseat, holding her to her chest carefully and rubbing her back.

"I'll go." She offered, "he'll want to see the baby anyway."

Ava sighed gently and stirred in Jenny's arms before nuzzling her face into Jenny's chest and falling back asleep. She gave Jack and Mike a small nod and slipped out of the room, she wandered around for a few minutes before she found Gibbs upstairs in her office, staring out the window that overlooked the side yard. She slipped in and shut the door behind her, she knew Gibbs was aware of her presence but he didn't turn around.

"You okay?" She asked quietly.

The sound of her voice made Ava stir and let out another small cry, it was the sound of Ava's voice that made Gibbs turn around.

The minute his eyes fell on the sleeping baby he couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face, she was smaller than he remembered and the sight of Jenny standing there holding her almost took his breath away. He stepped around her desk and walked slowly over to both of them, his eyes never leaving Ava.

"She's not going to disappear." Jenny pointed out softly softly.

She couldn't help but smile at the look of awe on his face as he ran a finger over the baby's chubby cheek.

"She's smaller than I remember." He muttered.

"She's tough though." Jenny stated proudly, "I think she's gotten bigger since she's been here."

Gibbs grinned at the pride in Jenny's voice and couldn't help but let his eyes drift up to look at her face, her head was bent and studying the baby in her arms, a loving smile on her face. In that moment he realized just how grateful he was for the woman standing in front of him, sure they had had their issues and things between them had been more than a little tense for the past year but watching her take care of the kids, seeing how much she loved them reminded him what an amazing gift she had so willingly given him.

He ran his hand over Ava's hair before letting it fall to Jenny's hip, she looked up at him in surprise and confusion.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"For what?"

He looked down at Ava again and then back at Jenny who was looking at him like he had gone crazy, he took a step closer and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on the top of Jenny's head.

"For giving me our kids," He whispered against her hair, "for doing this."

It wasn't even close to what he wanted to say, he wanted to tell her how much he appreciated the fact that she accepted him for who he was, that he knew and appreciated how much she had sacrificed to make him happy and to keep their kids safe and happy.

Jenny shifted Ava so that she had one free hand and wrapped it around Gibbs' waist, normally she would protest how touchy he was being but at the moment she just didn't care, she was content to let herself be held. Coming so close to losing him had been a bit of a wake up call, she still wasn't willing to risk everything they had to pursue a relationship, she wasn't even sure he wanted that, but she was willing to be a little it more free with her affection and more accepting of whatever he was willing to offer.

"It's like you're a different person today." She muttered.

She wasn't particularly upset by it, it was just odd seeing Gibbs so willing to talk and so affectionate when he normally kept his distance.

"Woke up this morning and realized that I'd nearly lost everything." He replied quietly, "don't wanna lose this." He admitted.

Jenny was about to respond when Ava let out a small noise of protest at being sandwiched between Jenny and Gibbs, she stepped back and looked down at the baby who's green eyes were wide open and staring up at here in annoyance.

"What's wrong?" Jenny cooed, "you don't like being stuck between Mommy and Daddy?"

It was the first time she had referred to herself as Mommy but as she said it she couldn't help the small grin that spread across her face, it felt right. Ava let out a small sigh and reached up to try and grab Jenny's hair, she quickly brushed her hair out of the way and shifted Ava, now used to the baby's antics.

"Do you want to talk about what happened downstairs?" Jenny asked quietly.

"Nothing happened." Gibbs replied, paying more attention to the baby than to Jenny at that point.

"You haven't seen your dad in twelve years and you said all of ten words."

"Got nothing to say to him." Gibbs stated, shrugging his good shoulder.

Jenny took a deep breath and closed her eyes, she was getting nowhere quick and she knew that as soon as Gibbs retreated back into his little bubble there would be no getting him back out.

"What the hell happened between you two? Your dad says he doesn't even remember."

Jenny wasn't one to push him for information, if she left him alone he would normally tell him in his own time but she could see this feud, whatever it was lasting for a long time and affecting their lives.

"He brought a date to the girls funeral." Gibbs replied quietly.

Jenny raised an eyebrow, she could understand why Gibbs would be pissed but she couldn't quite believe that that warranted twelve years of silence.

"Maybe he just needed support." She reasoned, "he was saying goodbye to his daughter in law and his only granddaughter, I can't imagine how he was feeling, how either of you were feeling."

"But you do Jen." He reminded her, "you lost a daughter too, how would you feel if the one person you had left in the world showed up to our daughters funeral with a date?"

Jenny sighed and ran her free hand through her hair, "I'd be hurt." She replied honestly, "I'd be hurt and I'd be angry."

She had been lucky, Ducky and Decker had both been there to support her through losing her daughter, but the two people she had wanted and needed there the most had been absent.

"I've had to bury my child, but Jethro, I've also buried my father and I would give anything to have him in my life." She said softly, "I just don't want you to regret not making things right if something were to happen to your dad."

"You want me to forgive him?" Gibbs asked.

"I don't want you to have regrets." She replied, "you need to do what you think is best, I'll support you whatever you decide."

"Even if I don't want to forgive him?" Gibbs asked, "you'll still support me then?"

"Give me a hard question." She replied, echoing her words from almost three years before, "you know that I'm on your side, but we have to think about the kids, you can't keep them away from their grandfather, that's not fair to them."

Gibbs sighed and ran his hand roughly over his face, he knew Jenny was right, knew that she had a good point.

"I'm going to go downstairs, give Pride a call, take some time to think, whatever you need to do so we can get through the rest of this week without a fight."

Gibbs nodded and watched her leave, he hated that he was adding even more stress to her life but something in him was unwilling or unable to let go of the anger he felt towards his father.

Downstairs Jenny found Jack sitting alone in the kitchen, his head turned towards the large glass door that lead to the backyard where Jake and Mike were playing with the dog.

"How long have you known my son?" Jack asked, not looking away from the window.

Jenny placed Ava down in her highchair and scattered some toys on it before leaning against the counter.

"Almost ten years." Jenny replied.

"Why is he so willing to talk to everyone but me?" Jack asked, finally dragging his eyes away from the door.

Jenny couldn't help the small snort that slipped past her lips, the idea of Gibbs willing to talk to anyone more humorous than she cared to admit.

"Your son is the quietest person I know." Jenny stated, "it's a miracle if he says more than five words at a time."

"He talks to you, and he talks to Mike." Jack pointed out, nodding his head towards the back yard.

"Mike was the agent who investigated the accident, he was there for Jethro, he taught him everything he knows about being a good investigator." Jenny said, "and as for me we've known each other a long time, when you do our job, when you see the things we see, you get close to the people you work with, no one understands hell better than the people who walk through it with you."

"You and my son are more than just colleagues." Jack said, a statement rather than a question.

"He's the father of my children." Jenny replied, "he's been my partner in a lot of things for a very long time."

"But you're not married." Jack said, "the man Abby was talking to, Pride, said you were married at one point."

"We were never legally married, we were stationed overseas together and lived together for just over a year." Jenny replied, giving him the vaguest version of their past that she could.

"He called you his sister in law, told Mike that his boy was in trouble."

"Like I said when you do our jobs the people you work with become your family, Dwayne Pride started on the same team as Gibbs, they worked together, they saw things no one should have to see together. Your partners become your brother's and sisters, your mentors become like second parents to you, in some cases partners get together because there is no other place to meet people and you spend all of your time together anyway." Jenny explained, "your team becomes your lifeline, the people you cling to when the world around you is up in flames. On your worst days, when your family doesn't understand why you can't bear to leave the house, why you jump every time a door slams, why you always need to be facing a door and close to an exit, that's when your team becomes your saving grace."

"Does that mean you abandon your family?" Jack asked, "That you leave behind those who raised you in favour of people you've only known for a short while?"

"It means finding a way to make both fit." Jenny replied with a shrug, "Jethro and I both went from having one or two people left in the world to having a huge family, a crazy, dysfunctional family but a family. Growing up it was just my father, my sister and I, my father died when I was twenty-two and my sister moved to LA shortly after that, I still have my sister her daughter but I also have two brothers, two more nieces, my goddaughter, and my own children. My family didn't disappear, I just added to it."

"Well my son didn't add to his, he completely abandoned it."

"I can't even begin to imagine what Jethro was feeling after he lost his wife and daughter, I won't pretend to know what either of you were feeling but I think you need to cut him some slack." Jenny reasoned, "It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing and clear skies for him and you couldn't even begin to imagine what he's had to go through since he lost his girls." She added defensively.

"You're right, I couldn't imagine, mostly because he's never told me." Jack replied quietly, "how am I supposed to sympathize with things I know nothing about?"

Jenny could empathize with Jack, she couldn't imagine not knowing what was going on in her kids lives, part of her understood what he was feeling, she had no idea where her daughter was or how she was doing but Daniella wasn't within arms reach. She wasn't watching her child's life play out from the outside looking in.

"I don't know how to fix that." Jenny admitted, "Jethro doesn't talk a lot, even to me or Mike and he certainly doesn't discuss anything painful or remotely related to bad memories, I think it's a coping mechanism."

Jack nodded and glanced back out the window, Jenny followed his gaze and smiled at Jake and Jethro rolling around on the grass, Mike had moved back to the deck and taken a seat on the steps and was shaking his head at the young boy's antics.

"I want to be a part of their lives." He stated, nodding towards the backyard.

"And you will be." Jenny promised, "the kids always come first, unless you give me a good reason to I won't keep them from you."

"And what would be a good reason?" Jack asked, immediately picking up on the threat in her words.

"Not a twelve year old grudge." Jenny assured him, "whatever is going on between you and Jethro is none of my business, but if it starts to effect my children then we might have a problem."

"And if my son decides he doesn't want me anywhere near them?"

"Kids come first." Gibbs stated gruffly from the entrance to the kitchen, "not gonna keep them from their Grandfather."

Jenny turned around at the sound of his voice and raised an eyebrow, he was more put together than he had been before, she could still see the anger behind the calm facade but it was well hidden.

"But like Jen said, you give her a good reason then all bets are off." Gibbs added.

"So don't get between Mama Bear and her cubs is what you're saying?" Jack asked, looking between Jenny and Gibbs.

"Something like that." Gibbs replied with a shrug.

He had seen Jenny when she was angry or feeling threatened and it hadn't been pretty, especially when he had been the target of her anger but he had no desire to see what she would look like protecting her children. He knew Jenny would keep the peace as long as she could but if whatever was going on between him and his father started effecting the kids then she would put them both in their places faster than they could blink by any means necessary.

Well guys, another chapter done, please remember I own nothing it all belongs to DPB! I really love to hear from you guys and reviews are always appreciated! This was more of a filler chapter leading up to the good stuff but everyone has been asking for some Jibbsy fluff and I figured that after twenty one chapters you guys deserved something! If anyone is interested in bouncing ideas around for the next few chapters let me know because I've got nothing!

Thanks again!

~Katie