A/N: Thank you to all of you for the amazing reviews! They really are appreciated and inspire me to write better, so keep them coming. There will most likely be another chapter after this one then that will be the end of the story. As I mentioned last chapter, I'm thinking of writing a sequel exploring Jasper's childhood and growing up, so keep an eye out for that. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!
"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" Abby yelled with joy as she sprinted towards the new parents walking through the domestic terminal. Jethro had an arm around Jenny's waist as she carried Jasper in his carrier, while Tony and Ziva trailed along behind them along with all the collected suitcases. "CAN I SEE HIM?" Abby asked, peering down into the carrier. She squirmed in delight upon seeing the tiny boy fast asleep. "AWWWW… HE IS SUCH A CUTE JIBBLET! CONGRATULATIONS GIBBS AND JENNY!"
Both Jenny and Jethro were pulled into a relatively tight hug with the forensic scientist, "thanks Abs…" After they could breathe again, Jenny shot Gibbs an odd look.
"Jibblet?"
Jethro simply shook his head whilst opening his mouth, "don't ask."
Tony came and stood next to the group, placing the suitcases down with an exaggerated sigh. He could have sworn the number of bags had tripled upon leaving Los Angeles, but then again, two more people were joining them on the flight home. Before he had a chance to make some sarcastic comment, Abby engulfed him in one of her breathless hugs.
"Oh… This is nice…" Tony stated with the air he had.
Abby pulled away from the hug, "I'm glad you are all safe… You guys don't know what it's like when you all leave me and I'm alone in my lab with only McGee, Ducky and Palmer downstairs to talk to. And I didn't even get to see little Jasper when he was a tiny little newborn! He has gotten so big now in a week!"
"He's actually lost weight…" Jethro exclaimed as Jenny leant into him. According to the nurses at the hospital, it was entirely normal for new babies to lose weight right after being born as they adjust to a milk diet. He was sure though that Jasper would regain it back in no time at the rate he had been feeding.
Abby peered her head into the carrier, observing the baby wrapped up tightly in the light-yellow blanket with a white hat on. She could totally see Gibbs in him already. "Jasper's gonna be your little G-Man Gibbs." Jenny gazed up to Jethro tiredly with a smile, she had come to that conclusion a few days ago in the hospital.
Seeing that Jenny was still feeling a little weak, he took the carrier and led her to his car in the parking lot. "So… Jenny, how are you feeling?" Abby asked. The redhead linked her arm with Jethro's and glanced over to Abby.
"Tired. I won't truly be able to sleep until we find Svetlana. And after that, I probably still won't with Jasper waking up every hour."
The goth scientist nodded; McGee had been able to trace the account number they decoded at the diner to a bank account with mountain tons of money. If she had to guess, it would have been Decker's insurance safe. "We are this close to finding her," Abby said, putting her finger inches away from her thumb, "You guys burned the pictures from the diner, didn't you?"
She heard a "yup," from Tony behind her. There was no way in hell now that Svetlana or any associates could get their hands on that money. "Anyone feel like stopping for a burrito?"
Ziva hummed from next to him, "I have to agree with Tony… The food on the plane was very minimal. A burrito sounds nice."
Jethro glanced down to Jenny, "you feel like stopping to eat?" The redhead shook her head in response, the hunger pangs weren't biting, and all she wanted to do was just lie in bed and rest. The whole 'being a new parent' thing was catching up with her.
They reached Jethro's car, and he opened the trunk, letting Tony place the suitcases in. "We can bring you some if you want…" Tony stated as he glanced over to the redhead. She lifted a hand to her head, considering the offer.
"Make sure that they put extra steak in it…" She finally said after a minute.
"You got it."
"And Tony… Ziva." Jenny called out to them as they began to walk back to their car across the other side of the carpark. "I didn't thank you for looking out for me… I could have died and… Well… You know what else has happened."
Tony shot a glance over to Ziva, "well… You have to thank Ziva. She was the one that figured out you were in danger." The man admitted. Jenny smiled at both, regardless of the circumstances.
"I'm going to thank you anyway, Tony… Ziva." Jenny said, nodding her head to the Israeli before stepping into the passenger seat of the car.
The senior field agent stood there watching Gibbs buckle in Jasper to the car while Ziva travelled back to their vehicle. He returned back moments later, patting DiNozzo on the back. "I uh… Gonna break one of your rules, boss." Tony hesitated and looked to the ground, "I'm sorry for everything that's happened. We should have been right by her side, and we weren't."
Jethro squinted his eyes at the man standing before him and whispered back, "The past is the past, Tony. You were following direct orders from Jenny. You can't blame yourself for that."
"It could have gotten her killed…" Jethro could see the guilt eating him up from the inside.
"Then it would have been her own fault." Tony shuddered at the thought of seeing the director lying dead. The woman had pissed him off and terrified him multiple times over the last year, or so, however, it didn't change her stunning temperament as a director. And now that she was officially on leave and had Leon Vance as her temporary replacement, Tony would really miss her. "DiNozzo. I don't think you realise how much of a tremendous help you've been the last week. Thank you for watching out for her." He said, whispering the last part. "Now get outta here and get some rest."
The little pep talk seemed to inspire some life into Tony, and the two men shared a small hug. "Did I say congrats, Gibbs?" Jethro pulled away and smirked at him.
"In your own way, Tony." DiNozzo glanced over to the goth scientist still standing next to him.
"CAN I COME OVER GIBBS? I really wanna hold little Jasper…" Jethro nodded.
"Sure Abs…" He jumped into the driver's seat of the car and rolled down the window to see Abby poking her head in.
"Okay. I'm gonna go get burritos with Tony, and I'll be there in half an hour."
Finally, there was a moment of peace, with just Jenny, Jasper, and himself. It didn't last long though, as Jasper could be heard squirming around before letting out a sharp and shrill cry. Jenny sighed in the front seat. "I'm gonna have to sit with him, aren't I? When was the last time I fed him?"
Jethro glanced down at his watch; he hadn't been keeping track of that. "OH, Come on, Jethro." Jenny droned, "I can't simply rely on my baby brain."
He gazed across into her green eyes, "just give him a quick feed and then we'll go."
The redhead laughed, taking a moment to get herself into the back seat of the car next to her son. "Oh, Jethro…I'm like a human milking machine."
"That's exactly what you are, Jen." Jethro retorted back.
After thoroughly searching every inch of his house -including the basement and backyard- Jethro determined that nobody was hiding in the dark, namely Svetlana. He gently carried Jasper inside, placing him in the black bassinet that Abby had gifted them before sprinting back out to the car to help Jenny. She held up a hand as he approached, and Jethro stopped in his tracks. "Jethro, I am perfectly capable of stepping out of the car."
He held up his hands in defence, taking a step back from the car as he watched the redhead use all her strength to lift herself up from the passenger seat. A smirk couldn't help but emerge as she slammed the door behind her. Jen always was incredibly stubborn. "Are you gonna be like this all the time now? Not letting me cook, not letting me do all the washing…"
"Jethro, who the hell said you have to cook? I'll just bring Naomi over. She makes the best rice risotto out of both of us anyway." They entered inside the house, and Jethro shut the door, locking it tightly.
"Ah. I see. You just use Naomi to cover up the fact that you can't actually cook." Jethro mocked, causing the redhead to shoot him a deadly scowl. Back on their missions in Europe, Jenny had been a fast learner in practically everything she set her mind to. However, most would consider her cooking skills a completely different circumstance. Perhaps that's why they would often eat at restaurants rather than at their safehouse.
Had Jenny not been so weak, she would have run after him and kicked him in the shin; she hated this post-partum recovery. "Contrary to what you believe, Jethro… I can actually cook- "
"Prove it then."
The redhead pursed her lips together as she did when someone dared her to try something. She honestly didn't know how much more of him she could take before she lost her marbles. "I will prove it to you when I am in a better state of wellbeing." Jenny retorted back. Making her way over to the sofa, she sat down next to the bassinet, noticing what had become a foul, but familiar smell. "Where's his diaper bag?"
Jethro glanced around the room, noticing it sitting by the front door. He brought it over to Jenny, who rummaged through it for a diaper. "Jethro… We really need supplies. The hospital only gave us another 15 diapers. That will last us like 3 days!" Jenny exclaimed as she took the baby out of his bassinet and laid him on a blanket.
"I'll run out and grab some shortly when Abby comes," Jethro stated, scratching his head.
"What about his room? And I know Abby gave us a whole ton of clothes, but will it be enough? Good lord, Jethro, we haven't even made his crib- "
"Jen. Don't worry about it. I'll sort it." Did she forget that he had a talent for carpentry? Jenny let out a sigh as she placed a new diaper on Jasper. Jethro watched from the doorway as she rolled her eyes and removed it. "What happened?"
"I put it on backwards…" Yeah, this was the sort of stuff they didn't teach you about parenting. His tiny eyes darted around as Jenny placed the diaper on correctly and buttoned up his pyjamas. For a moment, she simply sat there, just observing him bringing his hands to his face, observing a creation she and Jethro had made together.
The peace was ruined moments later as his face faltered, and sharp cries filled the room. Jenny took him into her arms, cradling him from side to side and shushing him. Over the past week, she had learnt so much, but she still panicked the moment that he started crying because she didn't always know what he needed. Usually, it was milk, but there had been a moment the other night when he had been fed and had his diaper changed and was still crying. Jethro said that it must have been trapped gas.
Instinctively, Jenny managed to latch him onto her breast, and he quieted down. "I'll go take the suitcases upstairs…" Jethro whispered, launching right into the task. Jenny nodded, leaning back up against the bottom of the sofa and letting out a sigh; these next few months would be incredibly repetitious.
When Jethro returned downstairs moments later, a sharp knock sounded at the front door, followed by, "I COME BEARING GIFTS!"
He unlocked it, letting the forensic scientist in as she carried two full bags of burritos. "Gibbs… I know that you like steak and cheese, so I got you that, and, aww…" Abby stated as she spotted the redhead on the ground feeding the little guy, "is he awake?"
Jenny nodded as Abby sat herself down on the sofa behind Jenny. "I still can't get over how you guys are actual parents! I mean, being parents to Tony, Ziva, McGee and I is something, but having a biological child… That is something else." Abby dug into her pork burrito and continued to stare at the feeding baby.
"Thanks for afternoon tea, Abby… I really appreciate it." Jenny said, glancing up to the goth. She smiled back.
"No problem, director… I mean, Jenny." Gibbs sat down on the other sofa opposite the two women and hungrily enveloped his burrito. "What does that feel like?" Abby asked, genuinely curious. Jenny took a moment to think about how to answer the question.
"Quite painful actually… Like someone is trying to squeeze fluid out of my body. The nurses said that the pain should subside within a few days."
Abby nodded, not being able to peel her eyes off the baby. Coincidently, Abby finished her burrito as Jasper finished feeding. "Here, Abby…" Jenny passed Jasper up to the goth, "he needs burping. You know how to do that, don't you?"
She swooned over the light baby in her arms, "I've seen some of my friends do it a hundred times, I'll be good." Jenny smiled and started eating the burrito Abby had gotten. She hadn't realised until she took the first bite how incredibly hungry she was.
Jethro stood up and picked up the keys, "I'm gonna go out and grab some supplies… Lock the door behind you, Jen."
Jenny nodded, doing as Jethro said before returning to the sofa. "This is so precious…" Abby whispered as she patted Jasper carefully on the back, "can I just adopt him?"
Had it been a few months ago, Jenny would have happily given the baby away, but now that he was here, Jenny couldn't even bear the thought. "Trust me, Abby, you won't want to adopt him when he's crying all night."
"Hmm… I guess I hadn't considered that."
Jenny finished off her burrito before cleaning up. When she returned, Jasper had fallen asleep on Abby. "Can you take a picture for me?" Abby asked innocently. Jenny simply nodded, "my camera is in my bag over there."
After rummaging through the bag full of miscellaneous items, Jenny found the camera and snapped a few pictures of Abby with her son. "Do you mind helping me with a delicate task, Abby?"
"Sure! What do you need?"
The redhead sat down, intertwining her fingers together. "I need help setting up Jasper's nursery upstairs. I was planning on doing it after I returned from LA, but obviously, circumstances changed."
Abby gave out one of the biggest smiles Jenny had ever seen her give. "Oh, Jenny. I would love to help. Can we paint his room with owls? Or with spiders? It would match with his bassinet."
Jenny considered the idea. The thought hadn't occurred how it would be decorated or the sort of paint that would be used. She only had been thinking about what clothes go in what draw and where the furniture would be placed. Everything in there were just in boxes and bags currently. "I… Suppose that could be a possibility. Although, I'm not sure what Jethro would think about that. You and I both know how incredibly minimalist he is."
"Ah, Gibbs won't mind picking up some paint on the way home, will he? I'm imagining the wall this deep navy-blue background with small spiders scattered all over." Jenny glanced over at Abby, concerned.
"That won't scare him when he's older, will it?"
"But kids love spiders…" She said with puppy dog eyes.
"I beg to differ…" Jenny admitted. She had been deathly afraid of them since she was seven. "How about, for now, we just paint it a navy blue, and as Jasper gets older, he can decide what he wants."
Abby nodded, a little sad about not adding any animals. "Okay… I guess that seems reasonable. When do you want to get started?"
"I'll call Jethro to pick up some navy paint on the way home…"
All the clothing Jenny had bought for Jasper seemed three sizes too big for him. She hadn't considered buying premature baby clothing at all because Jenny was so convinced she would carry Jasper to full term. She passed Abby a cute one-piece with little ducklings on it; the goth took it and cooed. "Ducky gave us that one…"
"I have to say, it's so adorable… Shame he won't be able to wear it for a few months." Abby whispered sadly as she placed it in the three-month drawer.
Jenny glanced down to her side, rubbing a hand over her son's chest as he lay sound asleep in his bassinet. "Oh! Here's some one-month-old pants." Abby held up the tiny striped leggings before passing them to Jenny so that she could examine them.
"I forgot I bought this. I found it in a shop while in Paris and couldn't resist. They'll still be a little big for him, but it's better than some of the other options." At that instant, Jethro silently trotted through the nursery door, carrying multiple bags.
"Hey, Gibbs! Did you get the paint?"
Like something out of Mary Poppins, Jethro pulled a large bucket from one of the bags. "Oh, Gibbs! You're a saviour." Abby stated as she pulled the man in for another hug, "Can we start painting now?"
Jethro held out a finger, "not yet Abs…" He glanced down to his boy sleeping soundly and a smile emerged, "We've got to put tape around the base moulds and set up plastic on the floor…" Abby nodded.
"Right… I knew there was something I was forgetting. See Gibbs, this is why we need people like you in the world, you have such great insight."
"Only when he applies himself," Jenny muttered with sarcasm. Jethro simply gave her the 'Gibbs' stare before getting back to task.
Abby grit her teeth together trying her hardest not to smirk as the redhead roasted Gibbs. She watched as Jethro moved all the boxes of clothes and furniture into the middle of the room before running into the basement and grabbing plastic and tape. "I'm gonna take Jasper into the bedroom and have a nap, I don't want him being exposed to the fumes."
Jethro simply nodded as Jenny took the bassinet down the hall and shut the door. "What do you think of the colour, Gibbs?"
"I like it."
"I gave Jenny the idea that maybe we could paint spiders or owls or robots or something as a decoration, but… She said no." Jethro bobbed his head from side to side and squinted his eyes.
"She's always been like that," He explained.
Abby raised a brow, "you mean… You're not adverse to the idea of your son having spiders on his wall?"
Her voice had every hint of optimism, but Jethro quickly replied, "I didn't say that I meant that Jenny has always had trouble envisioning how well art will turn out."
"Oh," Abby said, her voice lowering. "Do you think she'll kill us if I add just a few little animals?" Jethro squinted his eyes at her, "I'm a great artist, Gibbs. I really am!"
"Well… She'll probably curse me to hell. You, you're probably fine." He raised his eyebrows as he considered the consequences. If worst came to worst, they could just repaint over the 'art'. And Jenny had taken herself off to bed, so what say did she get in this? "I trust you, Abs."
"OH, YES!" She twirled around before hugging Jethro for the umpteenth time that day, "Thank you, Gibbs. I promise you and the director won't be disappointed.
"If you say so, Abs." The last thing Jethro needed was the wrath of Jenny Shepard.
Sharp and sudden cries in her ear had startled Jenny from a deep sleep. She picked up Jasper from his bassinet right next to the bed and brought him close to her chest. It wasn't until Jenny had managed to get him feeding that she realised the darkness; she'd slept all afternoon.
Quietly, Jenny trotted down to the nursery, spotting Jethro down on his hands and knees, removing tape from the bottom baseboards. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light in the room before she noticed the animals painted against the navy background, "Jethro… Oh my… This looks incredible."
Jethro had never been that great with paints; therefore, Jenny assumed that Abby had been the one to paint the animals. And she had to admit, even though Jenny had warned the scientist that they should wait until Jasper was older, the animals looked stunning. Tiny black spiders draped down from the top of the wall while Abby had painted a rainforest with a couple of monkeys and a large Giraffe in the corner.
"It was all Abby…" Jethro admitted as he stood up, brushing his pants.
Jenny smirked, "I figured." She glanced down to Jasper, busy feeding in her arms. "How long was I out for?"
He shot a glance at his watch before placing a kiss to his son's forehead, "A few hours."
"Oh… I didn't intend to sleep for that long." The last time Jenny had a nap that long was a few years ago when she was up all night in MTAC with sister agencies. If she had to pick the worst thing about being a new parent, she would pick sleep deprivation; it really sucked.
"Jen…" Jethro whispered, brushing a hand down the side of her cheek, "sleep as long as you need… Your body needs the rest."
"But Jethro, I need to be awake, I need to be aware… What if Svetlana kills me in my sleep?" Jenny reasoned as she gazed into his warm, but steely eyes.
"You know damn well I won't let that happen, Jen." He guided Jenny out of the nursery before shutting off the light. "The house is perfectly safe."
But Jenny wasn't convinced, "you know Jethro, I would feel much safer being at my own apartment. At least there I have a security system."
They made it to the bedroom, and Jethro shut the door behind them. "Whose to say that they'll manage to hack into it and silence it?" Jenny gave up, sitting herself down on the edge of the bed while Jethro sat down behind her and rubbed her shoulders. She didn't know whether she wanted to lean into his touch or punch him, both emotions equally tugged at her.
"Why do you have to be so darn difficult, Jethro?" She muttered through gritted teeth.
"Why do you make a drama out of everything?" Jenny whipped her head around to send him a chilling gaze.
"You're kidding, right? I'm allowed to make a drama out of being safe in my own home." She retorted back with her voice raised. Jethro backed off, regretting what he'd just muttered.
"Okay… I'm just saying, there are two deadbolts on the door, there are two snipers downstairs in my basement locked up in a drawer, and I think I'll hear if glass breaks. That ease your fears?"
Jenny shook her head, "no. But I take comfort in the fact that you've always been a light sleeper." In that instant, the phone rang on the bedside table to which Jenny rolled her eyes, "who the hell wants to call me at this time of night?"
Picking up the phone, Jenny recognised a familiar, but panicked voice, "Naomi? Naomi tell me what's wrong right now!" Jethro's heart started pounding, and his ears perked up at the sudden change in tone from his partner, he could recognise that voice anywhere.
"Jen?" Gibbs asked when he couldn't hear the mumbled voice through the phone, damn her for not putting it on speakerphone.
Jenny put the phone down and hung up, looking Jethro square in the eyes with the blood draining from her face. "She's got Naomi…"
A/N: Can't say when the next chapter will be up, currently in the midst of writing it.