A/N: Here I am again, with another multl-chapter Jibbs story, even though I said I was through writing them. Blame my muse. Anyway, I know I usually post on Saturday, but I'm going to be rather busy tomorrow, so here's an early one! Hope you enjoy, but beware the angst.

Staring at his fiancee as though she'd lost her mind, Leroy Jethro Gibbs asked her to repeat her request, his mind beyond confused.

"Can we go for a drive in the rain?"

He looked at her, trying to determine if she was serious, and when she grabbed his arm, laying her head on his shoulder, she gave him a soft smile.

"We haven't gone out in the rain in a really long time."

"Well, yeah," he answered as though it were obvious, "We're usually doing other things when it rains. Things that don't involve clothing, and the occasional sound of you screaming my name."

Jenny rolled her eyes, still clinging to his arm, and kissed his shoulder gently.

"Please, Jethro? Just for a little drive?"

Knowing he couldn't refuse her now, Gibbs nodded, kissing her softly as she hugged him, and she grabbed her jacket, pulling it around her tightly. As he led her to the truck, Gibbs lifted her into it carefully, his hand brushing her skin as he hooked the seat belt around her, and he leaned closer.

"When we get back, remind me to show you just how much you mean to me," he whispered.

She smiled, threading her fingers through his hair as he kissed her. When he backed out of his driveway, Gibbs couldn't help but glance over at her, smiling at the look of pure happiness in her eyes. He still didn't understand why driving in the rain was so intriguing to her, but he would never refuse her when she asked, no matter how much he pretended to protest. Jenny laid her head against the window, her eyes lit up by the flash of lightning, and she smiled at the peal of thunder.

"I don't get it, Jen. What is it about the rain that you love so much? It just makes a mess."

Jenny smiled as she listened to the drops hitting the windshield, shaking her head slowly.

"It's...it makes everything seem so peaceful. It gives life. Literally. I love the way the earth smells after the rain, it's impossible to describe...did you know the technical term for that is petrichor?"

He shook his head, turning his windshield wipers on higher.

"No. Why do you know that?"

She merely looked at him, and he nodded.

"Right. Human dictionary. Forgot."

Jenny smacked his arm lightly, and he smirked at her as he came to the stop light in front of them. Gibbs waited for the light to change, and slowly eased off the brakes, pulling through the light as it finally glowed green. He didn't want to risk hydroplaning, so he pushed the gas carefully, and glanced to his right once before moving.

Jenny saw it first. The swiftly approaching headlights were coming towards them much too fast for him to have any chance of avoiding them, and as her eyes were lit by the bulbs, she nodded her head in their direction.

"Jethro—"

The impact cut off her words, and though he knew it was useless, Gibbs attempted to turn the wheel in a way that would prevent them from flipping. Jenny screamed as she was thrown into the door, and he automatically reached for her, knowing that his hands on the wheel wouldn't really fix the problem, anyway. Gibbs tried to get a good look at the vehicle that had crashed into them, but his main priority was trying to keep his head from cracking against the window as they flipped again.

When the truck finally stopped, he was unbelievably disoriented, not knowing which way was up or down, and just as his hands found the latch on his seat belt, his vision went completely black.

The sound of the rain hitting metal was the first thing his mind registered when he opened his eyes, and Gibbs blinked, struggling to remember what had happened. His head felt too heavy to lift, and it was only when he realised he was hanging upside down that he understood why. Flashes of the crash began to come back to him, and he remembered Jenny with a jolt, drawing in a sharp breath. Other than a few cuts and bruises, he seemed to be okay, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him. It had been his side of the car that had taken the brunt of the hit, so if he was fairing this well, she would be, too.

"Jen?"

His voice was hoarse, a rough whisper, and he realised that he could feel a slight movement beneath his arm: the sensation of someone breathing. The cab of the truck was dark, nearly indistinguishable from the stormy sky above them, and his fingers reached blindly for the overhead light. After several seconds, his shaking fingers hit the button, light spilling into the truck, and he glanced in the direction of the movement he'd felt.

He wished he'd never turned on the light.

Jenny's head laid against the shattered window, shards of glass embedded into her pale skin, blood streaming down her face and pooling at her shoulders. He was momentarily confused by the darkness of her clothing, his shocked mind unable to understand. He could have sworn she'd been wearing a light green jacket, and when he finally realised that it was soaked with blood, he took in a ragged breath. The ghostly pale white of her skin contrasted starkly with the deep crimson, and he could just barely make out the rise and fall of her chest as she drew in as much air as she could.

Her left wrist was bent at an awkward angle, while her right hand grasped weakly onto the fabric of the seat in a desperate attempt to hold herself in the vehicle.

"Jen!"

A soft whimper was his only answer, and Gibbs quickly unhooked his own seat belt, his body landing painfully on the roof of his truck. He carefully unhooked Jenny's, catching her before she could fall, and as he lowered her slowly, he was relieved to see that she was looking at him.

"Just hang on, Jen. I'll figure something out."

Bringing his foot as far back as he could, Gibbs kicked the driver's window, feeling relieved when it broke easily. He crawled out, wincing as his jeans tore on the shattered glass, and he made his way as quickly as he could to the other side of the truck. Reaching in slowly, he pulled Jenny as close to him as possible, hoping he hadn't hurt her, and when her glazed green eyes met his, he felt his heart begin to pound even harder in his chest.

"J-Jethro...they h-hit us, d-didn't they?"

"Yeah, Jen, but don't worry. I'm going to get us out of here. Okay? Just stay calm."

She nodded weakly, and he frowned when he felt her reach for something in the truck. He was tempted to tell her than everything in it could be replaced, but when he saw what she'd grabbed, he fought the urge to kiss her. His cell phone was held in her shaking hand, and he silently rejoiced for her practical mind. He maneuvered her body through the window, and when she winced, he looked down at her sharply. A large, jagged piece of the glass was embedded just under her ribs, and he shook his head as he began pulling her through again. He hated knowing that he was making her pain worse, but he knew that they had to move. Fast.

He couldn't even feel the rain falling around them anymore, though he knew it was still pouring, watching as it rinsed away some of the blood on Jenny's face. Gibbs cradled her in his arms as he stood on shaking legs, the light from his truck casting an eerie glow around them. The road around them was deserted, not that he had expected the person who'd hit them to stick around, and he knelt down slowly, taking great care not to drop Jenny as he moved.

Dialing quickly, Gibbs swore in relief as the emergency dispatcher answered on the second ring, her voice the only hope he had to cling to at the moment.

"What is your emergency?"

"I need an ambulance. Now. My fiance and I were in an accident. The vehicle that hit us drove off, but I need help. She's bleeding a lot. I can make out a few of her injuries, a head wound, and possibly a broken wrist, but...there's so much blood."

"Is she conscious, sir?"

"Yes. But you need to hurry. She's losing too much blood."

Jenny stirred in his arms, her fingers curling weakly around his hoodie, and he tightened his hold on her.

"Is she coherent?"

"Yes, for now, but—"

"Are you injured, sir?"

"No, I'm fine. A few cuts, but my fiance is the one who needs help."

"Stay on the line while we trace your location, sir."

"Of course."

He leaned down to kiss Jenny's hair gently, not wanting to hurt her, and when the dispatcher's voice came back on the line, he jumped.

"Sir, an ambulance is being sent immediately. Try to keep your fiance calm while you wait."

"Thank you."

He hung up in a daze, still unable to properly grasp what had happened, and Jenny's quiet voice made him glance down suddenly.

"J-Jethro?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm s-so cold."

He felt tears spring to his eyes, and he nodded, cradling her shaking body in his lap.

"I know. Just try to stay awake, okay? I want you to do something for me, okay?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes locking on his, and he smiled.

"I want you to name all of the albums by the Beatles. Can you do that?"

Jenny shook her head.

"I don't know any. N-never liked the Beatles."

He sighed. Leave it to Jenny to be difficult in a life or death situation.

"Okay, fine. Every Stevie Nicks album, then. Solo work only."

Jenny smiled slightly, her body beginning to shake more violently. Gibbs hoped that by making her focus, by making her talk, that she would stay conscious longer.

"Bella Donna," she began softly, "The Wild Heart, Rock a Little..."

Her voice trailed off, eyes slipping closed, and Gibbs tapped her cheek gently.

"Come on, Jen. Keep going."

"The O-other Side of the M-mirror. St-street Angel..."

Gibbs had no way of knowing if she'd forgotten any in her brief lapse, but he didn't think she had. Her eyes were open, but even in the dim light, he could tell they were glazing over more than before, and he looked at her seriously.

"Jen?"

"I...J-Jethro, I t-think I'm d-dying," Jenny whispered, her skin so pale that it glowed, "I don't think I-I c-can..."

"No," he said firmly, shaking his head, "You're not dying. I'm not going to let that happen. Do you understand me?"

"I...love you...so much..."

Gibbs leaned down, kissing her forehead lightly, his lips warm on her freezing skin.

"I love you too, Jen. But don't you dare give up on me. I'm not going to lose you. Not now. Not like this."

"I'm so s-scared..."

Her skin was growing paler with each passing minute, and her body was beginning to tremble less as her strength left her, going limp in his arms. Gibbs could feel her blood soaking through his clothing, drenching the denim of his jeans, and he held her tighter. Where in the hell was that ambulance?

"Just hold on, Jen..." he whispered, "The ambulance will be here soon."

The glorious sound of sirens broke through the rainfall, and Gibbs had never been more relieved to see the accompanying red and blue lights in his life. The flickering bulbs gave dimension to the blood covering them and to the glistening pavement, and Gibbs swore in relief. Three paramedics were by them in an instant, and one of them looked at Gibbs urgently.

"Put her down here," he ordered, indicating the stretcher.

Gibbs stood, cradling Jenny as though she were the most precious of beings, placing her gently on the stretcher.

"I'm right here, Jen. I'm not leaving you."

Her eyes were open now, locked on his, and though he could detect a hint of fear, they were mostly hazy, barely responsive to the flashlight the second paramedic shone into them.

"What's her name? Age?"

"Jenny," Gibbs answered immediately, "She's thirty-six."

He didn't tell them her profession, knowing that she wouldn't want anyone in the media to find out about this unless it was necessary, and the woman nodded.

"Jenny, honey, can you hear me?"

A weak nod was given in answer as an oxygen mask was placed onto her face, and the woman smiled.

"Good. I can see you and your husband have been in a pretty bad accident, but I don't want you to worry, okay? You're going to be just fine. Just stay calm, okay?"

Gibbs didn't bother to correct her calling him Jenny's husband, it was close enough to the truth, and as the redhead's eyes closed, the paramedic glanced down quickly. They loaded her into the ambulance, and as Gibbs climbed in behind them, he fought the urge to take her hand. He didn't want to be in their way, but the need to touch her was almost unbearably strong.

There were so many wires, so many tubes, and he couldn't focus on anything other than the steady beeping of the heart monitor attached to Jenny's chest. More than anything in the world, he wanted to see her eyes. The monitor began to sound loudly, causing him to jump, and the female paramedic leaned over Jenny quickly.

"Jenny, you still with us? Can you hear me?"

There was no response, and she turned to her colleague.

"Nothing. She's not breathing, and her heart rate is dropping. We need to hurry."

Gibbs hardly understood the words, the only thing registering was that something was wrong. Everything in his mind was screaming, but he stayed silent, staring at her immobile body as the paddles were applied to her chest. He didn't know how many times they shocked her heart, but when the monitor began beeping again, he let out a shaking breath.

"Okay, we got her. Welcome back, Jenny."

Though he knew he probably shouldn't, Gibbs reached forward, taking her pale hand in his, kissing it gently. The female paramedic smiled sadly, and as the neared the hospital, he kissed her fingers again, his lips lingering on her skin.

"I love you, Jen. I don't know if you can hear me, but...I'll be here until you wake up. I promise."

The ambulance halted to a stop, and as Jenny was rushed into the cold building, Gibbs followed at her side, nearly running to keep up.

"Car crash, thirty-six-year-old female, broken wrist, severe head trauma, several lacerations on the upper body, extreme blood loss, went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance. We need to get her to the OR, stat!"

Gibbs didn't even have time to think as Jenny was pulled away from him, and as he was left in the cold waiting room, he collapsed onto the hard plastic chair, still unable to believe this was happening.

The harsh reality of the night hit him at around midnight, and his hands began shaking so uncontrollably that he didn't think they would ever stop. His mind was racing, a million thoughts spinning around in his head, but the most prominent one was that he couldn't lose her. Not Jenny. Not like this. Not after everything they'd been through. They'd survived their respective pasts, their own stubbornness, their secrets, and he couldn't accept that it was all for nothing. The universe wouldn't be so cruel as to take her away from him now.

It wasn't lost on him that this was how he'd lost Shannon and Kelly, albeit under different circumstances, and he couldn't handle the thought of losing Jenny in the same way. He supposed that since he'd gone the past two hours without hearing anything it was a good sign, but it still made him uneasy. What would he do if he lost her? He'd lost so much, he couldn't handle it if she died. Jenny had always admired his ability to keep his emotions in check during stressful situations, but if she could have seen him now, she would have been unnerved.

When he was finally called into an adjoining room, Gibbs struggled to focus, struggled to give them the information they needed, and all of their condolences blurred together in a haze. He didn't want to hear it, didn't want their reassurances. He wanted Jenny. Wanted to see her, to hear her voice, to touch her. These doctors didn't know her any more than the driver who'd hit them on the road. What did it matter to them if she died?

"Does Jenny have any family that needs to be contacted?"

Gibbs frowned, shaking his head.

"She...doesn't speak to her mother much, and her sister lives out of state...I'll try, but...she's got friends. I'll call them."

"Does she have any allergies?"

Again, he shook his head, and the doctor wrote his response on a chart in front of him. Everyone else in the room seemed so calm, as though this kind of thing happened every day, and it dimly occurred to him that it did. They saw this kind of accident daily, but still he couldn't comprehend it. How could they be so calm? How could the pages of life still turn if Jenny died? How would the fabric of time hold its structure?

Because if Jenny died, Gibbs knew that nothing, no art, no music, no books, no film, no amount of bourbon in the world would be able to make the universe whole again.

"What the bloody hell?"

Doctor Donald Mallard blinked sleepily at his clock as the ringing of his phone woke him, and as he slowly picked it up, he frowned.

"Hello?"

"Ducky, it's Gibbs."

On high alert now, Ducky sat up quickly in his bed, turning on the bedside lamp.

"Jethro, it's nearly three in the morning, you know."

"Yeah, I...I know, Duck. Listen, I...I need to tell you something."

"What's happened?"

He knew something had...after all, why else did anyone call another person at such an ungodly hour? Gibbs took a slow breath, and the doctor unconsciously gripped the phone tighter, preparing for the worst.

"There was an accident. We...we were out driving, and someone ran the light. Smashed into the side of my truck, flipped it. I'm at the hospital now..."

"Wait, Jethro, we? Who else was with you?"

Though he prayed he was wrong, Ducky knew before he even spoke what the answer would be.

"Jen."

"Is she alright?"

There was a long silence, and Ducky threw his legs over the side of his bed, searching for suitable clothing.

"Jethro, is Jennifer alright?"

"Don't...don't know yet. I'm at Portsmouth now. Still waiting."

"I'm on my way."

Ducky had never seen a man look as broken as Gibbs did when he walked into the hospital waiting area, and he gently placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder. The look on his face was one that would haunt the doctor for the rest of his life, painted with anguish, his eyes empty and hollow.

"Jethro..."

His highly trained eyes took in the bruising on Gibbs' face, but what concerned him the most was the amount of blood staining his clothes. He couldn't see any open wounds, and he frowned as he sat down in the chair next to him.

"Is that your blood?"

Gibbs shook his head.

"Jen's. There was so much...and I couldn't stop it. I...I tried, Duck. I got her out of the truck, but... And she was so scared. She lost so much blood...her heart stopped in the ambulance."

"She's still in the OR?"

Gibbs nodded, staring at his bloodstained hands. He'd refused to clean them, unwilling to let any reminder of Jenny go, and as Ducky looked at him sadly, he raised his bloodshot eyes to the doctor's.

"All she wanted to do was go for a drive in the rain...something so simple, so easy. She loves the rain, it makes her happy, and I just wanted to see her smile. She hasn't smiled much lately, so...and now..."

"I know, Jethro. But, you know how strong Jennifer is. She's not going to give up without a fight. She wouldn't leave you. Not after all you two have gone through to get one another back. She loves you."

"I feel so helpless, Duck. I couldn't stop the car from hitting us, I couldn't stop her bleeding, I couldn't bring her back in the ambulance..."

"You listen to me, Jethro," Ducky said firmly, his eyes locking on the younger man's, "You saved Jennifer by calling the ambulance. You got her out, you got her here. You've done everything possible to help her."

Though he knew his friend was right, Gibbs hadn't felt this lost since the deaths of his wife and daughter.

"Are you here for Jennifer Shepard?"

Gibbs jerked his head up at the sound of her name, looking at the man who had spoken sharply. It was perhaps the only thing that could have penetrated the haze of his mind, and as Ducky stood beside him, the former marine nodded.

"Yes. She's my fiance. Agent Jethro Gibbs, NCIS."

"Nice to meet you, Agent Gibbs," the man replied, shaking his hand, "My name is Dr. Jacob Blake, and I'm one of the surgeons that's been working on Jennifer."

"Jenny," Gibbs corrected automatically.

Dr. Blake nodded, and smiled.

"I know you're going crazy waiting for information, so I won't waste your time with all the details just yet. We've gotten Jenny in a very stable condition right now, though we were worried at first that we were losing her. She's a strong woman, and it's going to take a lot more than that to take her down. We were able to set the bone in her wrist with no issue, and from what we can tell, there was no lasting damage to any of her vital organs. The lacerations were stitched up, and we've given her two blood transfusions to replenish the blood she lost. She's got a few cracked ribs as well, but we've wrapped them up."

Gibbs was struggling to comprehend anything other than the fact that Jenny was stable, relying on Ducky to fill him in on the finer details later.

"As for brain function, we'll know more when she wakes, but so far, all the signs look good. She's in a coma right now, but as soon as she's conscious, we'll have a better understanding of where we stand."

"She will wake up, won't she?" Ducky asked quietly.

Dr. Blake gave him a smile.

"Her chances look very good. She's come this far, and she doesn't seem like the type to give up after this much fighting. We'll monitor her closely, and as soon as the situation changes, we'll let you know."

"May we see her?"

The doctor nodded, but spoke softly.

"One visitor at a time, though. We don't want to risk overwhelming her if she wakes."

Ducky smiled, looking at Gibbs sternly.

"Go on. She needs you."

Nodding once, Gibbs allowed Dr. Blake to lead him down the eerily silent hall, coming to a stop at the room near the end. Gibbs pushed open the door slowly, trying to prepare himself for what he was going to see, and stepped inside, his heart racing.

It wasn't enough.

Jenny was lying motionless in the large bed, looking so small and fragile that it made his heart shatter as he stared at her. Thick bandages were wrapped around the right side of her head, running diagonally, and he was relieved to see that he could still make out most of her face. There were so many tubes and wires connected to her body that he lost count, and as he moved closer to her, he was distinctly aware of the beeping of her heart monitor. It was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard, and his vision suddenly blurred from the tears in his eyes.

Her wrist was wrapped tightly and held in a cast, resting immobile on the bed, and without even realising it, Gibbs reached out to touch it gently. He pulled up a chair next to the opposite side of the bed, taking her free hand in his, and he leaned over her, his lips brushing her cheek lightly.

"Don't worry, Jen. I'll be right here until you wake up. I promise. I love you so much."

"Ziva, if you wanted a breakfast burrito, you should have asked! Stop eating mine!"

The voice of Anthony DiNozzo cut across the squad room indignantly, and the Israeli in question laughed, shaking her head slowly.

"It is bad manners to not offer everyone on the team breakfast, Tony," she answered simply.

Tony rolled his eyes, stopping suddenly when he realised that their boss was nowhere to be found. Ziva collided with his body, glaring at him as the food she'd stolen fell to the floor, and she smacked his arm hard.

"Tony, you made me drop it! What did you stop for?"

"Gibbs isn't here. Doesn't that seem weird to you? He's always here before us."

The elevator chimed, and as Timothy McGee stepped out of it in a rush, he sent them both and angry look.

"Guys, I told you to wait for me. You just left me to carry all of our stuff."

Dropping the numerous bags he was carrying, the probationary agent huffed in annoyance as he made his way to his desk, throwing himself into his chair so hard that he rolled back into the file cabinet. He sighed as his phone rang, and when he answered it, his voice came out slightly more irritated than he'd intended.

"McGee."

"Timothy, are you in the squad room?"

McGee frowned.

"Yeah, why?"

"Are Anthony and Ziva with you?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Call Abigail and have her come up immediately. I'll explain as soon as I get there."

The harsh click of the phone in his ear made McGee frown even harder, and he stared at it in disbelief as he picked it up again, dialing the lab. Relaying the strange message, he could feel the eyes of his colleagues on him as he hung up again, Tony taking a step closer.

"What was that?"

"Ducky. Said we needed to get Abby up here and that he would explain when he got here."

Tony frowned, sitting behind his desk slowly.

"Wonder what's going on?"

McGee shrugged, still put out that he'd been forced to carry their bags all the way from the evidence garage, and clicked through some of the files on his computer absentmindedly. They were joined by the bouncy Goth moments later, and as they waited for the Scottish doctor, each of them tried to think of a reason for them to be called into the room.

"Maybe we're all fired."

"Nah, Ducky wouldn't be the one to tell us. That would come from Director Shepard."

"Speaking of, where is the fearless leader? Not like her and the boss man to miss work. They probably had too much fun last night, and had to take time to recuperate."

Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Tony. Don't talk about them like that."

Abby's eyes widened worriedly.

"What if something happened to them?"

McGee put his arm around her reassuringly.

"They're fine, Abs. It's probably nothing."

When Ducky finally stepped out of the elevator, Tony's brow furrowed in confusion as he took in his haggard appearance. He'd never seen the doctor look quite this exhausted, and he shook his head.

"Woah, Duck man...what happened to you? You sleep in an alley?"

Ducky shook his head slowly, stopping in the middle of the room, his eyes sad.

"I trust you've noticed that Gibbs isn't here this morning, nor is our lovely Director."

"Yeah, what's up with that? They party too hard last night?"

Sighing, Ducky met the eyes of the Senior Field Agent, and Tony immediately realised that something was terribly, terribly wrong. He snapped his mouth shut, and when the doctor took a slow shaking breath, McGee noticed the tears in his eyes.

"There was an accident last night. Gibbs and Director Shepard were hit by a vehicle that ran a light, crashing into the side of his truck, and flipping it upside down."

Abby gasped, her hands flying to her mouth, and her voice was shaky as she spoke.

"Are they okay?"

"They were taken to Portsmouth late last night, I've just left, and—"

"Ducky! Are they okay or not?" Abby cried, her voice rising in her panic.

"Gibbs is fine for the most part. A few cuts and bruises."

Ziva frowned, looking at him seriously.

"And Director Shepard?"

"Not so much. She's in a coma right now. She suffered a broken wrist, head trauma, broken ribs, and severe blood loss. She went into cardiac arrest while en route to hospital. Gibbs is there with her now, but there is no time frame for when she'll wake, nor any indication of how extensive the damage was until she does."

The doctor looked at them seriously, his eyes flickering over each of them slowly.

"Until further notice, Anthony is team leader, and I'll give you an update as soon as I possibly can."

Tony nodded, pointedly ignoring Abby's tears as he stood up. If he even so much as glanced at her, he knew he would begin to panic, and that simply couldn't happen.

When Ducky walked into the dimly-lit hospital room, he smiled sadly at the sight in front of him. Gibbs was still sitting in the chair by Jenny's bed, her hand still in his, and his head was laying on the pillow next to hers as he slept. Silently, the older man made his way closer, leaning down to kiss her forehead softly, running his finger over her cheek.

"I hope you know how much he loves you, Jennifer. I know how much you love him, and you don't want to hurt him, so...you'd better wake up as soon as you can. Don't push yourself, but...he needs you. He's absolutely lost without you."

The doctor had no way of knowing if the redhead could hear his whispered words, but he had to try. He knew nothing would ever be right again until she opened her eyes again, and he smiled sadly.

"You can do this, my dear. You're so strong, and you have so many people who love you that are waiting for you."

No matter how hard he prayed, Jenny's eyes remained closed, oblivious to the world around her and to the man holding her hand as though his very life depended on it.

A/N: Damn, it's like I don't know how to write a happy story...