A/N: Thank you for the continued support. I appreciate hearing your thoughts. They are definitely motivating! Happy belated birthday (yesterday) to AliyahNCIS!

***JIBBS***JIBBS***JIBBS***

Gibbs had been quiet ever since he returned from the hospital. Jenny didn't expect to hear much about his visit, but she thought she'd hear something. Unsure what they were facing at the Brooks house with Sam, the couple dropped Julia off with Noemi before they headed over.

Jenny could feel the tension during the car ride over, so she decided against initiating conversation. She sensed that her husband's head was elsewhere, and she knew better than to push. He'd talk when he was ready.

The only voice that was heard the entire time belonged to the car's GPS, indicating which direction they should go to reach the Brooks house, which turned out to around the corner from the Summers' home. Gibbs shifted into park, and they both silently exited the car and headed to the door. Jenny felt a tiny bit of relief when Jethro put his hand on the small of her back.

That relief was short lived when Frannie opened the door, stepped outside and shut it behind her.

"The boys are just inside, and I felt we needed to chat privately." When both adults looked at her quizzically, she continued. "We had some rough moments. He broke down crying several times. I think it scared Dylan a bit."

Jenny saw the pained expression on her husband's face and knew it mirrored her own. She reached out for his arm, wrapping her hand around his bicep – pulling him closer to her. "How is he now?"

Frannie's face softened. "Better. He had an appetite at dinner, which is a good sign, I think."

Gibbs and Jenny both nodded in agreement. He finally found his voice. "Thanks for having him over. We'll return the favor when things calm down a bit."

The other woman smiled. "He seems to care about you a great deal, Agent Gibbs. But he misses Steve a lot and of course Vivienne." She then turned to face Jenny. "You have your work cut out for you. He seems… conflicted. I get the feeling he's… would proud be the right word? I'm not sure. He definitely likes you, but I think he feels tremendous guilt for saying that he does."

Jenny couldn't hide the fact that the woman's words hurt. It was one thing to sense it as one of their issues – but to have this other woman voice it out loud… Jenny sighed and nodded. "I appreciate the heads-up."

Frannie's mood darkened. "Do you have a baby? Or maybe a pet named Baby?"

Gibbs felt Jenny's grip on his arm tighten. "He means our daughter, Julia."

"Ah," she acknowledged. She chose her next words carefully. "I got the impression he's not very fond of her." Frannie watched their reactions and realized this wasn't exactly news to the couple. "Jealousy? Dylan was that way when our second came along. I feel for you both, believe me."

Jenny smiled. "How old is your second?"

The other woman also smiled. "She's almost 24 weeks."

"Julia's almost 18 weeks. That's great. Maybe one day we'll be having play dates for both kids," Jenny offered.

Frannie smiled. "I'd like that. Do you two have a few minutes? Would you like to come in and have some tea or a glass of wine?"

Jenny could tell her husband didn't want to stay. "We'd love to, but it's been an emotional day. Could we have a rain check?"

The other woman understood perfectly and immediately regretted the suggestion. "Absolutely. Come in for a moment, and I'll get Sam ready."

"I hope I didn't embarrass her," whispered Jenny, once the woman had walked off. "I like her a lot. Maybe we can be friends."

Gibbs looked at his wife and felt for her. She really didn't have friends. He had Fornell, Mike and even Ryan. And while he knew she considered Mary among hers, he found the U.S. Marshal rather annoying. Then again, he knew she'd lay down her life for Jenny, which earned his respect.

"If you want that, I'm sure you will be," he offered.

She managed a small smile. While they waited, Jenny looked around the immediate area, her eyes widening. "Their home is beautiful. I love how it's decorated."

A tall man in his late 30s, wearing a dark suit, approached them from another room. "That's all Frannie's doing. She's an interior decora—" he said, stopping mid-sentence when he saw Jenny. "Director Shepard? What are you doing here?"

Gibbs looked at Jenny and could see she tensed up immediately.

Frannie re-entered the room. "Director Shepard?" she asked, looking at Jenny since she knew Gibbs was his last name. "You know my husband?"

Jenny swallowed and narrowed her eyes. "Hello, Roger." She looked at her hostess. "I didn't put two and two together when you introduced yourself."

Gibbs didn't like the feeling he was getting. "What's going on?"

Jenny sighed. "Roger works for a particular Congressman who's a big fan of holding up his vote for our funding until he gets a chance to grab my ass."

Frannie was incensed. She turned to her husband. "I told you that man's a pig. Now do you believe me?"

Gibbs looked at Jenny, anger in his eyes. "Which one?"

She quickly looked at Roger. "Don't you dare tell him." She turned back to her husband. "I don't need you going John Wayne on him. I can handle it. I always do. I just don't know why he thinks he has a right, the…." She looked at Frannie. "Pig is a great word. The pig."

Roger looked defeated. "I just work for him. Doesn't mean I approve of his behavior. If it helps, I think I do know why he does it to you in particular." He quickly shut up when he realized that probably wasn't the smartest thing to reveal.

Gibbs and Jenny looked at him and said at the same time, "Why?"

"I'm not sure you want me to say in front of him," he said, motioning to Gibbs.

Jenny crossed her arms in front of her chest, preparing for the worst. "Roger, this is my husband, Jethro Gibbs. You can say anything in front of him – he knows the good, the bad and the unbelievably stupid things I've done."

Roger extended his hand to shake, which Gibbs found an odd thing to do at that moment, but he figured the guy was a stickler for good manners… even at the most awkward of times.

"He said that he'd heard you'd slept with your married boss to get ahead… figured you were up for anything," he cringed.

Frannie's eyes widened. "Roger!" The pretty brunette was incredulous that her husband would embarrass their guests like that.

Gibbs scoffed. "What? The guy's an idiot. He doesn't have a clue what he's talking about."

Jenny looked at her husband like he had three heads. "You really are out of it today. He means you."

Roger and Frannie looked at each other – both suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"But I wasn't married," answered Gibbs, insulted.

"Oh my God, do I have to spell it out for you?" she asked, hitting him lightly on his arm. "The only one who has ever thought that or said that is-"

"Diane," he growled, finishing her thought. He threw his head back in frustration.

Jenny bit her lower lip and shook her head. "They were divorced before anything happened between us, but she refuses to believe it. Always has."

Gibbs was irate. "I could strangle her."

"I'd rather sue her," she spat back. "This has not been a great day for my reputation," she sighed. She finally noticed the other couple and their obvious discomfort. "I'm so sorry," she said, wincing. "I don't suppose we could start over? Hi, I'm Jenny, we really do have a great marriage."

The other couple laughed as the boys came downstairs.

"I gon't wanna go," whined Sam.

While Gibbs bent down to talk with Sam and Dylan, Frannie took Jenny aside. "Please don't sweat it. You seem like a lot of fun. Let's get together really soon and have some obviously much needed girl talk while the kids play."

Jenny managed to laugh. "I'd love to, really." She took out one of her cards and handed it to a smiling Frannie. "Call me anytime." She then turned to face the guys. "So are we ready to head home?"

A sullen Sam sighed and headed toward the door. Gibbs, his mood not much better, did the same. Jenny sucked in her breath as she realized her evening was going to be something short of a barrel of laughs. She turned back to Frannie and whispered, "Would tonight be too soon to cash in that rain check?"

Frannie laughed. "Hang in there, Jenny."

On the car ride back, Sam ignored Jenny's first question about his day so she gave up. She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. She felt Gibbs take her hand and squeeze it, which made her smile.

When they arrived home, Jenny left Sam with Gibbs so she could relieve Noemi. She took her daughter in her arms and thanked the woman profusely for staying late.

After Gibbs gave Sam his bath, Jenny – still holding Julia – popped her head in to see how they were doing. "Are you ready for a story yet?"

Sam shot a look at Gibbs, who then turned to face his wife. "We're going to the basement for a little while. I'm going to teach him how to sand."

She nodded. Sam was obviously still upset so Gibbs was going to show him his way of coping. She watched them go, figuring she wasn't invited since no move was made by either to include her. Instead, she headed back to the nursery and sat down in the rocking chair to feed Julia. She turned on the DVD that Missy made for them and each song evoked several memories of previous times it was played. As she watched her daughter's little cheeks move, her mind drifted to the many evenings when she was pregnant that she sat on the swing in New Mexico and watched Jethro build the crib she was now sitting next to. She remembered their wedding in that same location and how happy she was to finally be officially married to him. Jenny also remembered the countless times they listened to this music while nursing Julia just like this. Each memory warmed her heart and filled her with gratitude - forcing her to not think about how sad the two males in her life were at this moment.

In the basement, Sam was just getting the concept of going with the grain. Gibbs leaned over him, his large hands on his son's smaller ones, guiding his movements. His pride was obvious when he could see the tension in Sam's shoulders begin to dissipate. They continued to work silently on the new toy chest for Sam's room. After about an hour, Gibbs carried the tired little boy up to his room. He tucked his son in, fully expecting to see him in an hour or two when he'd inevitably wake up from a nightmare. But until then, he kissed him on the head and turned out the light.

On his way to their bedroom, he checked in on Julia. He smiled, seeing her spread out as much as humanly possible across the crib. "You're going to be just like your mommy," he whispered as he caressed her head.

Gibbs sighed before he pushed open their door. Jenny was sitting up in bed, reading reports. She was wearing a red silk negligee instead of her usual T-shirt and shorts. She knew how he loved to cuddle with her when she wore that, and it made him even more grateful that he had her in his life. He nodded to her before he headed for the bathroom to take a quick shower.

After he finished getting ready, he came out wearing boxers and slipped under the covers. He appreciated that she had given him his space after the hospital but he figured it wasn't fair to not fill her in. He just wasn't sure how to put his thoughts into words. He was hoping the sanding would help, but even that seemed to be letting him down.

Jenny sensed the struggle he was having. She put away her files, laid down her glasses and turned to face him.

He took a deep breath. "Remember how you felt after you took Sam to visit Vivienne?" It was a rhetorical question. He knew there was no way she could forget that. He pulled his knees up and rested his elbows against them - as his hands rested on top of his lowered head. "I felt that same paralyzing… empathy. I guess that's the best way to put it. It hurt to look at him. I saw my anguish in his eyes, and it felt like losing Shannon and Kelly all over again."

Jenny closed her eyes - tears stinging them as they fell down her cheek. She quickly wiped them away, hoping her husband didn't notice. This wasn't about her – or how much seeing him hurt like this made her feel. She needed to be strong for him.

"I don't get it."

"What?" she asked, hoping he didn't notice her voice crack. She ran her fingers through the hair around his temple, trying to comfort him.

"I was at their graves with you, and I was fine. Why did seeing another man mourn the loss of his wife get to me more?"

Jenny shook her head. "I don't know. But I'm not surprised. You recognized his emotions, what he was going through. Of course it would get to you."

"A part of me feels tremendous guilt."

She couldn't hide the surprise in her voice. "Why?"

He lowered his hands and turned his head to face her. "This poor guy has lost his wife – his everything. He could still lose his life! He probably hasn't been able to think about the fact that I now know his son is really mine but when he does," he sighed, shaking his head. "Then there's Shannon and Kelly – they lost their lives so young."

Jenny reached out and squeezed his arm. "Why are you feeling guilty? None of this is your fault."

He put his hand over hers. "My wife and daughter are dead. The mother of my son is dead. My son and his other father are in hell as they grieve. And me?" he sighed.

Jenny unconsciously held her breath as she waited for him to finish.

"I'm so damn happy it scares me. I have this little miracle in the next room who has stolen my heart. I have a son I can't wait to get to know. And I'm completely in love with the most beautiful woman in the world, who teaches me every day that I can love just a little bit more than the day before."

Jenny wiped away the tears from her eyes – happy ones this time. "Jethro, that's survivor guilt talking. You have to give yourself permission to be happy."

He looked down at his knees again. "How can I? I feel like I don't have a right."

"You have more than a right. You have a duty – that is how you can honor their memories. Don't teach your son that happiness is something to feel guilty about – that's why he and I are having problems. It would be a horrible legacy to pass down to him, and it doesn't sound like something Vivienne believed. Didn't you tell me she embraced life?"

He nodded.

She took his face in her hands, and they locked eyes. "You've been surrounded by death long enough. You've mourned. You've grieved. If you find yourself happy now – grab it," she implored, needing him to believe her. "Because we both know how quickly it can be ripped away."

He nodded, knowing she was right but he wasn't sure he could let it go. What he did know was that he needed Jenny. "Hold me?"

"For as long as you need." They turned off the lights. He eased himself down onto his pillow and watched while she laid her head on his chest and placed her arm around him. "It can be for the rest of our lives if you want."