A/N: I realised as I was writing this that my timeline is a bit of a mess, but hopefully it doesn't detract from the story. Anyway, here we are. Hope you enjoy!
Just shy of a year after her birth, Zelda Elizabeth McGee said her first word, at approximately 8:30 in the morning, on a Wednesday. This was, incidentally, the very same day that her godmother, Jennifer Shepard-Gibbs suffered one of the most severe emotional breakdowns of her life. Unlike any previous breakdowns, this one was preceded by a specific trigger, and was in the presence of not only her husband, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but her close friend, Stan Burley. Though it wasn't enough for her to be hospitalized, she did require sedation, and that was enough to worry those that loved her most. The day had begun normally enough, with only the minor mishap of a spilled cup of coffee as Jenny had rushed to answer her phone, and though this had annoyed her, it was hardly cause for her to descend into the downward spiral that would see her collapsed on the floor later that day.
She answered the phone slightly breathless, shaking her hand to combat the burning of her spilled coffee, but kept her tone carefully light as she sank down into her chair, rolling her eyes at her own clumsiness.
"Shepard."
"Hey, Red. How's it going?"
She smiled, beyond overjoyed to hear her friend's voice.
"Burley! I'm good. How are you?"
"Doing good. Hey, I'm gonna be in town today, and I was wondering if you might want to hang for a bit after you get home. Gibbs, too. I've been really missing you guys lately."
"Of course. You don't even have to ask. We should get home around 19:00. Is that good for you, or—"
"No, that's fine. See you soon, Jenny."
After she'd said her goodbyes, she ran her hand through her hair, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she was forgetting something. She hadn't had anything significant happen in the recent days or weeks, and there weren't any major ops approaching that needed her attention, so she didn't have the slightest idea of what it could be. Shrugging as she pressed her intercom, Jenny decided that whatever she was (or wasn't) forgetting couldn't have been too important. After all, if it were, she would have remembered...right?
"Cynthia, would you bring me a cup of coffee, please?"
"Right away, Director."
"Thank you."
As she waited for the younger woman to return, Jenny heard her phone ringing again, and sighed. She just wasn't going to have any peace today, was she?
"Shepard."
"Jenny, Zelda said her first word!"
The redhead could hear the excitement in Beth's voice, and she smiled, nodding at Cynthia when she heard the knock on her door. She held up her finger, signaling for her assistant to wait, and laughed.
"That's great. What was it?"
"Cup," Beth answered proudly, "I wish Tim could have been here. It was so amazing. I've never been this excited in my life."
"Was our little McNugget demanding breakfast when she said it?"
"No," came the response with a laugh, "I put it in front of her, she looked at it for a long minute and said it. Don't tell Tim just yet. I want to surprise him. I just had to tell someone."
Jenny smiled again, reaching for the cup of coffee Cynthia had placed on her desk. She couldn't quite locate it, however, and moved her hand slowly across the surface of her desk, not wanting to spill another one.
"A little to the left," Cynthia whispered.
"Thank you," Jenny whispered back.
She listened to Beth tell her a bit more about her day, and when it suddenly hit Jenny just exactly what the nagging feeling in the back of her mind had been, she sat up straighter, her heart instantly beating faster.
"Beth, I'm really sorry, but I have to go. I'll text you later, okay?"
"Okay. Bye, Jenny!"
She hung up, looking in the direction she'd heard Cynthia's voice, and blinked, trying to fight her panic.
"Cynthia," she asked slowly, "What day is it?"
"The 3rd. Why? Is something wrong?"
She shook her head, painting a smile on her face though her mind was screaming at her.
"No, I just couldn't remember. I've worked so much this week that all my days are running together."
Cynthia laughed.
"I hate it when that happens. Throws my entire week out of sync. Is there anything else you needed, Director?"
Jenny nodded.
"Yes, actually. Hold my calls for the next hour. I think I need to lie down for a bit."
Cynthia frowned, looking at her in concern.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Not really, no. I'm hoping it's nothing, but I'm going to take it easy just to be safe."
"If you need anything, I'm right outside the door."
Jenny gave her a weak smile, nodding slowly.
"Thank you, Cynthia."
The door shut moments later, and Jenny took a deep breath, trying to calm the panic in her mind. Surely she was wrong. She'd miscalculated the days, made a simple mistake. Even as she tried to convince herself otherwise, she knew it was useless. There was no way she was wrong. She knew, as surely as she knew her own name, that there was no use in denying it: her period was late.
Though she'd told Cynthia she was going to lie down, Jenny reached for her phone, holding it in her hands tightly to avoid dropping it. It rang endlessly, and she swore quietly as she placed it back in its proper place. If Gibbs hadn't answered his desk phone, that could only mean that he'd either gone for coffee, or he'd gotten a case. She debated on calling his cell, but if he was working a case, she didn't want to distract him. Distractions in the field could be fatal, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen.
She shook her head as she tried to convince herself that just because her period was late, it didn't necessarily mean she was...she couldn't even think the word. Surely the universe wouldn't be so cruel as to taunt her like that...would it? Jenny frowned, shivering both from the chill in her office and the worry that plagued her, and when she suddenly stood, she did so without even realising it. She made her way to the door, opening it quickly, and when Cynthia said her name, she paused.
"Call Agent Murphy and have him meet me in the parking lot. And if Agent Gibbs should ask when he returns, tell him that I wasn't feeling well, and left early."
The younger woman nodded, trying to ignore the feeling that something was very wrong with her redheaded boss.
"Director Shepard, would you like me to walk with you?"
Jenny shook her head.
"No, thank you, Cynthia. I can manage at least that much on my own. I appreciate the offer, though."
Though it went against her every instinct, Cynthia allowed her to walk away, feeling as though she'd made a huge mistake.
As soon as Jenny arrived at their house, she immediately called for Aries, smiling weakly when she felt him walking beside her. She made her way to the couch, trying to think of what her next course of action should be, and when she heard the voice in the back of her mind speak up, she frowned.
Do you really think you're ready to have another baby? You couldn't even manage to keep the last one alive, and now you're blind. Who's going to take care of the child if Jethro has to work late? He does, you know...all the time. You can't even take care of yourself, let alone a baby. Still, you know Jethro would never let you give his child up for adoption and you're too chickenshit to go through with an abortion. You have two options here, Jenny. Keep the baby and lose Jethro, or take matters into your own hands. Those basement steps are pretty steep, and concrete is extremely unforgiving.
"I don't even know if I'm pregnant yet," Jenny protested.
What's your point? the voice taunted her, sounding strangely like her own, Better safe than sorry in this case. You know how devastating it felt to lose Matthew, and if you were to lose this baby...well, let's just say I don't think you would make it.
"Please, stop."
She knew she looked and sounded insane, arguing with herself out loud, but Jenny couldn't help herself. Her hands shook as she reached out to hold Aries, his warmth providing her with a comfort that she so desperately needed, and when she heard the front door open, she froze.
"Jen?"
Breathing slowly, Jenny relaxed at the sound of his voice, but she frowned when she realised he must have left work early in order to be home so soon.
"What time is it?" she asked.
Gibbs glanced at his watch, shrugging.
"11:17. Why?"
"What are you doing home so early?"
He frowned as he made his way closer, noticing that she never once released her hold on Aries, his eyes detecting the shaking in her body.
"Got back from autopsy and went up to your office to see if you wanted to have lunch. Cynthia told me you weren't feeling well, and since I have to practically drag you out of the office most days, I was worried."
He sat down next to her, placing his hand on her upper thigh, looking at her seriously.
"You okay?"
She frowned, but nodded, still not ready to tell him just what was bothering her.
"I just felt a bit nauseous, and I didn't think I'd really be able to focus the way I needed to."
It was partially the truth, and so the twitch of her right eye that always accompanied a lie stayed thankfully dormant. As she moved closer to his warmth, Jenny suddenly remembered both of the phone calls she'd received earlier that morning, and smiled, raising up to look in his direction.
"Jethro, guess what happened today."
He frowned but wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer.
"What?"
"Zelda said her first word. Beth called me to tell me. She was so excited. It was "cup". And Burley wants to stop by around 19:00. Is that okay?"
He nodded.
"Of course it is. How is Burley? Haven't seen him in ages."
She smiled.
"He sounded really good. But, you never know with him. He reminds me a lot of DiNozzo. He hides his pain behind jokes. Remember when he threw a condom filled with ranch dressing at Decker because his girlfriend broke up with him the night before their anniversary?"
Gibbs laughed, nodding as he kissed her temple.
"Yep. Decker smelled like a salad for a week."
Jenny smiled, though it was somewhat sad as she remembered their late friend. When she asked him to hand her her phone, Gibbs frowned but did as she asked, wondering what she was going to do. She dialed carefully, leaning against his shoulder as she waited for an answer, and when she heard that familiar click, she smiled.
"Burley."
"Hey, Stan."
"Oh, hey, Jenny. You're not calling to cancel our date, are you?"
She laughed.
"No, actually I was calling to see if you wanted to swing by earlier. Jethro and I got home earlier than expected."
Gibbs smiled as he listened to her speak, knowing just how much she'd been missing her friend, and as she made plans with the other man, he ran his fingers through her hair.
"That sounds great. See you in a few minutes."
Though Gibbs knew Jenny hadn't told him the full truth of what had been bothering her, he decided not to press the issue at the moment, wanting her to have a pleasant visit with Burley when he arrived. He kissed her gently when she laid her head on his shoulder, and when she toppled into his lap with a quiet laugh, he smirked.
"You know, Jen...we've got about ten minutes before Burley gets here..."
She rolled her eyes, shaking her head, and smacked his chest lightly.
"You're not as cute as you think you are."
Gibbs frowned, looking down at her quizzically.
"You sure about that? I seem to remember a few women thinking I was pretty damn cute. Five of them married me."
Jenny laughed outright, sitting up as she heard footsteps on the porch, and as Burley knocked on the door, she shook her head.
"And all but one of them was insane."
At first, Gibbs was confused, then he realised she was referring to Shannon. It wasn't often that Jenny mentioned his first wife, and it always made him feel more confused than he liked to admit. Was she comparing herself to the other redhead? Did she resent her for being the one who'd known and loved him before he'd become so guarded?
"Hey, Red. Gibbs."
"Burley. Long time, no see. How you been?"
Burley smiled, looking between them as he noticed the ring on the older man's finger. He made his way closer, his attention captured by Aires as Jenny let him jump down from the couch, and nodded at the team leader.
"Not bad. You? I see you guys finally tied the knot."
Gibbs nodded.
"Yeah. Did it awhile back. Before Jenny's birthday, so I'm surprised you didn't notice the rings at her party."
Burley laughed, sitting down in the chair next to the couch, petting Aries as he walked up to examine the newcomer in the room.
"To be fair, it was Jenny's party. Wasn't paying much attention to you."
Jenny laughed, causing Gibbs to glare at her, and she shook her head.
"Come on, Jethro. We all know Stan's been hopelessly in love with me since the day we met."
Burley nodded seriously.
"It's true, Gibbs. We've been planning this for a long time. It was inevitable, really. What with the way Jenny always wears those heels that are just screaming "sex" and—"
"Stan, hush! You weren't supposed to tell him," Jenny interrupted with a laugh.
"Don't make me head slap you," Gibbs warned.
Burley frowned.
"She's your wife."
"Doesn't mean I won't still do it."
Jenny nodded.
"It's true. But, it's kind of nice. Gives me a sense of normalcy with all the craziness that's gone on the past few years."
Though he had enjoyed spending time with his former agent, Gibbs wasn't one to partake in traditional "catching up", and when he stood suddenly, Jenny frowned.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, but you and Burley should catch up. I've got a few things to do in the basement."
He leaned down to kiss her gently, running his fingers through her hair as he pulled away, and gave her a smile that he wished she could have seen.
"Yell if you need anything."
He waved at Burley as he made his way down to the basement, and Jenny shook her head with a laugh.
"Typical Jethro."
Burley nodded.
"Some things never change."
Jenny smiled. That was certainly true. She waited for no less than five minutes before she spoke again, her voice hesitant as she began.
"Stan...can I tell you something? It would need to stay between us, though."
He smiled.
"Sure, Jenny. Always. You know I love a good secret."
She took a deep breath, trying to think of the best way to explain, and when Burley noticed how badly she was shaking, he frowned, looking at her seriously.
"Hey..." he said gently, "What is it, Red?"
"I...I'm not sure," she admitted, "I know this isn't something you really want to know, but...my period is late. About eleven days late. I don't know anything yet, but it's never been that late before except..."
"Except when you were pregnant," he guessed, his eyes looking her over slowly, "Right?"
Jenny nodded, and as she tried to speak again, her eyes filled with tears.
"Stan, I...I don't know anything yet, but...if I am...what am I going to do?"
He frowned.
"Tell Gibbs, would be the first thing, I assume."
She shook her head, trying to make him understand.
"It's not that simple. I—we've already lost one baby. That nearly killed me, literally. I don't think I could go through that again. And Jethro...God only knows what he would do. I can't...Stan, I can't be pregnant. I just—I can't."
Her breathing was much too fast for Burley's liking, and he stood from his place in the chair, moving to sit next to her on the couch. He looked at her worriedly, placing his hand on her knee, trying to calm her down.
"Jenny, you don't know if there's even anything to worry about yet. And just because you lost Matthew, that doesn't mean the same thing would happen this time. That was an accident. Tragic, yes, but it doesn't mean that you couldn't have a perfectly healthy baby."
"I—no, I can't. I don't even want another baby, and even if I did, who's to say that I wouldn't pass on my insanity to my child. I could never live with myself if that happened."
Her tears fell onto her lap, going mostly unnoticed in her panic, and when she spoke again, her voice was forced as she struggled to pull in air.
"I don't...I can't tell Jethro. If he—he found out and s-something happened, he would h-hate me for l-letting his baby d-die again, and—"
"Woah, easy, Jenny. You didn't let Matthew die, it just happened. And I know for a fact that he could never hate you. Not in a million years."
"You d-don't understand. Stan, you didn't s-see him after...after...he was so b-broken, and I—I shut down. I didn't h-help him. I wanted to, but I—god, he needed me, and I couldn't..."
Burley took her hands in his, frowning when he realised they were freezing, and moved closer, his eyes never leaving her.
"Breathe, honey. It's okay. It's understandable that you shut down. Gibbs knows how much pain you were in, and I know he doesn't blame you."
"Stan, I...I c-can't..."
"Shh...I know. Just hold on, okay? I'll be right back, honey. Stay here, don't move."
She nodded, still trying to breathe, and when he stood, she fell forward, landing on her hands and knees, halting Burley's plan to leave. He knelt down, pulling her into his arms, holding her close to his chest as she sobbed into his shoulder.
"I'm s-sorry, S-Stan."
"Shh, just breathe, Jenny. I'm not going anywhere."
He felt in his pocket for his phone, pulling up Gibbs' name quickly, texting as best as he could with one hand.
Gibbs, get up here. Now.
Pressing send, he let the small device fall from his hand, holding Jenny tightly, smoothing his hand over her hair.
"W-what am I going to do? I d-don't think I can h-handle it if—"
Burley never found out exactly what it was that Jenny didn't think she could handle, because her hyperventilation prevented her from telling him, and when combined with her tears, he knew she never stood a chance. Her icy fingers gripped his jacket so tightly that he didn't know how she could stand it, and when he heard the door to the basement open, he glanced up.
"What's wrong?"
Burley looked at Gibbs carefully, trying to gauge his emotions, and shook his head.
"She...she's worried that—"
"St-Stan, don't! You c-can't tell him. P-please, you p-promised me."
Jenny's voice was desperate, verging on hysterical, and Burley glanced down at her sadly for a moment before returning his attention to the man in front of him.
"I'm sorry, honey. I have to."
Her fingers gripped him tighter, and she shook her head, her hair sticking to her damp skin.
"Don't. Please, Stan...don't."
Gibbs moved carefully closer, his steps silent as he knelt down next them, and when he gently laid his hand on Jenny's shoulder, she jumped, instinctively moving closer into Burley's arms.
"Jen...can you stand up for me? Let's get you off the floor and back on the couch, okay?"
She nodded, and as he helped her to her feet, she stumbled, landing against his chest heavily, and as they walked slowly to the couch, Gibbs looked at Burley seriously.
"Go up to the bathroom by the bedroom, get me the bottle of Valium on the sink."
"On it."
Gibbs pulled Jenny into his arms as soon as he sat down, her head laying on his thighs, and as he began to comb his fingers through her hair, he could feel her shaking, still fighting for even the smallest breath.
"Easy, Jen...I've got you. Just breathe."
She reached for his hand, holding it tightly in her own, and he only looked away from her once he heard the sound of Burley's approaching footsteps. The younger man handed him the bottle, and as Gibbs carefully opened it, he raised Jenny to an upright position, brushing her hair back from her face. Breaking the pill in half, he instructed her to open her mouth, and as soon as she complied, he placed the tiny fragment on her tongue, watching her to make sure that she swallowed it. He knew it would be a few minutes before it would begin to take effect, and as he waited, he pulled her closer, moving so that her head was resting on his shoulder. Her breathing was slowly returning to normal, but she was still shaking and her tears still fell from her eyes as he continued to run his finger through her tangled hair.
As the medication began to take hold, Gibbs turned his attention to Burley, his bright blue eyes locking on the younger man's seriously.
"What happened?"
He knew Jenny wouldn't try to interject now, her thought process slowed too much for her to comprehend what was being said, and waited somewhat impatiently for Burley to answer.
"Everything was going fine, we were just catching up, and—"
"What doesn't my wife want me to know, Burley?"
His tone was sharp, not unlike the one he used in interrogation, and Burley nodded, taking a deep breath as he glanced at the redhead still leaning against his shoulder.
"Right. Gibbs...she...her..." he paused, unsure of how to continue.
"Spit it out, Burley!"
"She thinks she might be pregnant, Gibbs," Burley whispered, his heart breaking at the panic he'd seen in Jenny's eyes, "and she's terrified about...if something should happen like it did with Matthew. I tried to tell her that it was just an accident, that you could never hate her and—"
"Wait. What?"
"Jenny thinks that if she is pregnant and something happens to the baby, that you would hate her for letting the baby die. Which is absolutely crazy, and I tried to explain that, but...well...she's was too upset to see it."
Gibbs nodded, looking at Jenny carefully, running his fingertips softly over her cheek, trying to get her attention.
"Jenny?"
She didn't answer, her eyes staring down at her lap, and he tried again, slightly louder this time.
"Jen, can you hear me?"
Jenny blinked slowly, raising her head from his shoulder, and looking in his direction.
"Hmm?"
"Just making sure you can hear me."
She nodded, laying her head back down, and she curled her feet underneath her body, reaching for his arm slowly. Her eyes closed as she moved her body as close to his as she possibly could, and Burley frowned as a thought suddenly occurred to him.
"Gibbs...not that it's really any of my business, but...why do you have Valium in your bathroom?"
Gibbs sighed, shifting his arm slightly so he could hold Jenny more securely, and shook his head sadly.
"Jen. After Matthew...she...completely fell apart, Really scared me. Thought I was going to lose her. She was...bad."
Burley frowned, remembering something the redhead had said earlier and looked at her seriously.
"She told me it almost killed her. Thought she meant figuratively."
Gibbs shook his head.
"Nope. She didn't get out of bed for days, wouldn't speak to anyone, didn't eat...she didn't even seem to know where she was. The day of the funeral...she was so out of it, I don't even think she remembers it. Ducky kept her pretty heavily sedated to keep her from collapsing. I didn't think she'd ever come back to me."
"And now...Gibbs, if she is pregnant, what are you going to do? She's obviously scared to death about it."
Gibbs sighed.
"I don't know."
Jenny slowly raised her head from his shoulder, her eyes searching for what they would never see again, and she frowned.
"Jethro?"
"Hm?"
"Where's Aries?"
He smiled.
"Sitting in front of Burley. Call him, he'll come."
She shook her head.
"Burley's still here?"
"You can't get rid of me that easily, Red. How do you feel?"
The question took longer than Gibbs would have liked to register in her drugged mind, but she finally answered, her words slow and soft.
"Kind of dizzy. My head feels really heavy. Does that sound weird?"
"Nah. That's kind of what Valium does, honey. It's supposed to calm your thoughts. Slow you down. Do you think you could manage to tell your grumpy husband what you told me now?"
"He already knows," she said sadly, "I'm not stupid, I know you told him."
"I would never call you stupid, Jenny. Especially not if I wanted to live. But, it might be better if he heard it from you. Tell him what you're worried about. I promise you, he's not going to hate you."
Jenny shook her head, looking in his direction.
"Maybe later. I'd rather not think about it right now."
Though he wanted to protest, Gibbs said nothing, allowing her to enjoy the time she was spending with Burley. After all, the younger man was right: he did already know the answer. The only problem was, he had no idea what to do about it.
As Jenny paced anxiously in her office, waiting for the timer to sound on her phone, she tried in vain to control the thoughts that were tumbling around in her mind. The seconds felt like hours as she walked back and forth, making her more nervous with each one, and when she finally heard the timer begin to chirp, she jumped. Walking back to her desk, she pressed her intercom, taking a slow breath before she began to speak.
"Cynthia, could you come to my office, please?"
"Yes, ma'am."
The door opened seconds later, and Jenny gave her a nervous smile.
"I have a rather odd request."
"Okay," Cynthia said slowly, trying to imagine what it could possibly be, "What is it?"
"I need you to look at this and tell me what it says."
The redhead gestured to the pregnancy test sitting on her desk, resting safely on a paper towel, and as Cynthia walked closer, she kept her voice carefully neutral. This hadn't been what she'd expected at all.
"A pregnancy test? Of course I will."
She glanced down at the small device, reading it quickly, and looked at her boss from the corner of her eye. Jenny was still pacing, twisting her hands as she moved, and Cynthia frowned.
"It's negative, Director."
Jenny froze, her eyes wide, and turned her head, almost certain she'd misheard her.
"W-what?"
"It's negative," Cynthia repeated, "You're not pregnant."
The older woman nodded, saying nothing, and Cynthia glanced at her worriedly, taking a step closer.
"Are you okay, Director Shepard?"
"Yes," Jenny answered quietly, "Thank you, Cynthia. That will be all."
Cynthia took her cue to leave, closing the door slowly behind her, and as Jenny walked back around to the other side of her desk, she shook her head. Sinking down into the chair, she breathed a sigh of relief, her head falling onto the desk.
"Thank God..." she whispered.
That, at least, was one crisis averted.
In all her life, Jennifer Shepard-Gibbs had never been so overjoyed to finally have gotten her period as she was that morning, not long after she'd retreated to the sanctity of her office. She still had yet to discuss the events of her breakdown with Gibbs, and she knew it was merely a matter of time before he confronted her about it. As it happened, Gibbs himself had reached the same conclusion, and as he walked up to her office, he wondered if he was truly doing the right thing. He threw open the door, locking it silently behind him, and when he looked over to find his wife shaking her head in mild annoyance, he frowned.
"What?"
"You're never going to treat my door with respect, are you?"
"It's an inanimate object," he reminded her.
"I'm acutely aware of that fact, Jethro," she answered, rolling her eyes, "but that doesn't mean that you have to slam it into the wall every chance you get."
He shrugged, walking closer to her, and looked at her seriously, wishing more than anything that she could see him.
"Need to talk to you."
"Yes?"
"When were you gonna tell me?"
Jenny frowned, confused. She couldn't think of anything she'd done at work that she'd needed to keep private, and she shook her head.
"Excuse me?"
"About the chance you might be pregnant," he clarified.
"Is this really the best place for us to be having this conversation?"
He nodded.
"You can't avoid me here. I know you're scared, but knowing that Burley knew before me, that you made him promise not to tell me...did our wedding vows mean nothing to you? That was a slap in the face, Jenny, and—"
"It wasn't like that," she said quietly, "I needed an outside perspective. Someone who wasn't as emotionally attached to the situation. I didn't want to give you false hope and then take it away."
"Okay, I get that. But why would you think I blamed you for what happened to Matthew? I've told you countless times that it wasn't your fault. It's you that keeps placing the guilt on you. I have never blamed you for that, and I never will. But you have to trust me. You've been shutting me out, and look what it's caused. You're having more panic attacks and breakdowns than you ever have, and you have to talk to me."
"Jethro, you don't talk," she pointed out.
"I do now. Jen, that may be the one positive thing about you losing your eyesight. It's forced me to communicate more, because now I can't rely on you correctly interpreting a look the way I used to. Now I have to find the right words, because they're all I have. I can't just glare at you and make it all go away."
She smiled sadly.
"I miss those glares," she said wistfully, "Every single one. I miss the way you would smile at me each morning on the way to work, that little almost-arrogant smirk you'd get when you knew you were right about something, I even miss the way your eyes would flash with rage during an argument. But what I miss most is the look in your eyes when you kiss me. The way they'd get impossibly darker, like the sea after a storm."
He made his way to the other side of her desk, pulling her up from her chair, and as he brushed her hair behind her ear, lingering in the softness, he gave her a smile.
"I know it's hard," he said gently, holding her close, "But we can get through anything together. Because I'm never giving up on you. Not for anything in the world."
"Promise me," she whispered, running her fingers over his suit jacket slowly.
He held her tighter, leaning down to kiss her, his right hand winding into her flaming hair.
"I promise, Jen. And just so you know, the way I look at you will never change. I will always want you, no matter what happens."
She smiled as he kissed her again, her left hand holding his shoulder, and her right tracing the line of his jaw.
"Jethro?"
"Hm?"
"Will you love me until the day I die?"
He smiled, shaking his head as he leaned close enough to kiss her, his lips inches from her own.
"Much longer than that, Jen. Much longer."
Whatever clever remark she'd been planning to say died in her throat as he kissed her again, holding her so close that he never wanted to let go.
"Okay, Zelda, can you say hi to Aunt Jenny?"
"Bye bye," came the answer, in the child's precious voice.
Jenny and Gibbs both laughed as Beth held her on her lap, shaking her head slowly.
"No, we're not going bye bye. Say hi."
"Bye bye," Zelda repeated, tugging on a lock of her mother's hair.
Jenny laughed again, reaching for her cup of coffee, tipping it back quickly.
"Cup!" Zelda exclaimed, pointing to the object excitedly.
Gibbs nodded.
"Good job, Zelda. That is a cup. But it's Aunt Jenny's cup. Little girls can't have coffee."
"Cup. Cup. Bye bye. Hi."
Jenny asked to hold the child as she continued to babble on endlessly, and as she settled in the redhead's lap, she noticed Aries laying at their feet and frowned.
"Dat?" she asked.
Gibbs assumed this was Zelda-speak for "What is that?" and looked at her seriously.
"That's a dog, Zelda. Doggies go "woof". Can you say "doggie"? Hm?"
"Woof!" she repeated, making Jenny burst into laughter.
"Close enough, McNugget."
Zelda began squirming in Jenny's lap, wanting to be put down, and as Gibbs lifted her from his wife's arms, he gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Why don't you play with the doggie, Z? But be easy. Don't hurt him."
Zelda happily made her way closer to Aries, her eyes lighting up when she reached out to touch his ears, the texture completely foreign to her. Beth watched her closely, giving them both a huge smile as she leaned back in her chair.
"I know she probably doesn't understand most of the things she's saying, but I'm so excited to hear it. And thank you so much for everything you've done over the past year. I don't think we could have gotten through it without you."
Jenny smiled, moving closer to Gibbs as Zelda played beneath her feet.
"You don't need to thank us. We absolutely love Zelda. She's the most precious thing in the world. Except Aries, of course. Are you getting excited about the wedding?"
Beth nodded.
"I can't believe it's only a week away. Jenny, I can't thank you enough for all your help. I'm definitely sending you a gift basket."
Gibbs laughed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"Make sure it has bourbon."
"Jethro, I don't drink much anymore."
He nodded.
"Bourbon was for me, Jen."
Beth laughed just as her phone chimed with a text, and as she read it, a smile came across her face.
"That's Tim. He said he'll be home with dinner soon. We should probably go. It was so great to spend the day with you while he was out."
Jenny smiled.
"We loved it. Probably more fun for Zelda than tuxedo shopping, anyway."
Beth stood, scooping Zelda up from the floor with only mild protests, and she looked at her daughter, smiling as she kissed her cheek.
"Time to go home now. Daddy will be back soon. Can you say bye bye to Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jethro?"
"Bye bye," Zelda said, waving her tiny hand.
Jenny stood up, and Gibbs walked with her as she leaned forward to give Zelda a kiss on the cheek, smiling as the baby laughed.
"Bye bye, McNugget. I love you! So very very much."
Gibbs kissed the top of Zelda's head and gave her a smile as she waved again.
"Bye bye, Zelda. Be a good girl."
As soon as they had gone, Jenny leaned back into Gibbs' embrace, smiling as she felt his arms wrap around her waist. He lightly trailed his lips along the base of her throat, and when she tipped her head back, he smiled.
"By the way, Jethro...I never got the chance to tell you. My pregnancy test was negative."
He frowned.
"How do you know?"
"Cynthia," she said simply.
He nodded once, kissing her throat again, and as he moved his hands down her side, his voice was low in her ear.
"You sure you don't want another baby? You seemed to be enjoying Zelda being here."
Jenny shook her head, reaching behind her to frame his face with her hand.
"No. I've thought about it for a long time, and Zelda is enough for me. I'm happy with the way things are, I suppose."
"You suppose?"
"Well, yes. I would much rather have Matthew here with us, but since that isn't possible, I'm content with what we do have."
He nodded, looking at her seriously as she turned in his arms, kissing him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I don't need anything else," she said quietly, "All I want is you."
She kissed him again, her tongue finding his with ease, and his hands moved to her waist, holding her securely.
"Jethro?"
"What?" he asked, kissing her again.
"I want you to do something for me."
"Anything."
"Take me upstairs," she whispered, kissing him deeply, "Now."
It was, in Gibbs' honest opinion, the best idea she'd ever had in her life.
A/N: Until next week, my loves!