Jenny woke up and reached out, feeling emptiness beside her. She opened her eyes, confirming that the space beside her was indeed empty. She sighed and tried to fight off the morning weariness, slowly pulling herself up and twisting off the side to put her feet on the ground. She got up and grabbed her silk robe, tying it around herself as she made her way out the door and into his hallway. She stopped, seeing him standing in the doorway of the room—the one she knew had belonged to his little girl.

She slowly walked over to his back and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face between his shoulder blades.

"Happy New Year," she muttered sleepily.

He put a hand over hers. "Happy New Year, Jen."

She was pretty sure they'd been in bed by about 10. They were far over the days of having the energy to stay up until midnight partying just to welcome a New Year and share a kiss. The holidays had blown by fast. The week of Christmas popped up right after Jethro's incident, and it had been a hellish week at work for both of them. They had managed to celebrate the day of the holiday together at her house, mostly just laying around, eating, catching up on sleep, and making use of their physical time together. The week after was just a blur of a lot of paperwork that needed finished before the New Year, as well as preparing for upcoming agency and procedural changes that would be implemented in early January.

Last night, the entire building had been almost empty by 7, and she had stayed behind to try and catch up on her ever increasing pile of work. Jethro had ended up prying her from her office to take her to his house to eat and then fall asleep.

She had honestly been a bit glad that work had kept both of them so busy the last couple of weeks. She could sense he had been somewhat on edge after the Sharif thing, and she knew the holidays were hard for him. She sensed the distraction of work was a welcoming thing for him. Plus, she wasn't even sure how they were supposed to spend the holidays together. They were together, they were going to have a baby…but they were still getting used to each other again. It wasn't like they were an at ease couple. It had been two months since he'd even found out about the pregnancy. They were pretty much in that honeymoon phase where they had a good roll in the hay when they could and then tried to relax in each others presence.

He turned around, putting his hands on her shoulders and rubbing them down her arms as he leaned in and kissed her. Then he took her by the hand and pulled her into the room he'd been staring at.

"I wanna make this the baby's room."

She paused, feeling thrown off balance as she took in the room. They hadn't discussed any living arrangements yet. They'd hopped between her house and his. She hadn't really thought about the finer details…if they would all live together in one house, if they'd keep splitting between the two, where the baby would primarily live.

"Whaddya think?"

"I-I don't know." She looked at him helplessly.

He looked back at her as if he'd been wounded, and she realized he thought she was brushing off Kelly's room.

"No, Jethro, it's not the room," she rushed out, grabbing his arm. "I just…I hadn't actually thought about where we'd put the baby, and where we'll be. I mean, we've just gotten started on us being together again as it is."

He shrugged. "Baby's gonna need somewhere to stay."

She intertwined her fingers with his as she let her eyes wander around the room. She hadn't really seen it before. The door was always closed, and she knew it was a place near to his heart. She leaned closer into his side, letting her head rest against his shoulder. She tried to bury the thought of how awful it must have been for him when he had to clear away his daughter and wife's things after they died.

"You really don't have to give up this room if you don't want to," she whispered, squeezing his hand. "There's plenty of room in my house and the baby doesn't need two rooms. I don't want to, you know, intrude in your memories."

"I want you to intrude," he snapped.

She stiffened, not sure why he was agitated all of a sudden, and then he turned to look at her, taking a breath and looking apologetic. He looked down at their hands.

"When Sharif had that gun on me…" he paused, shaking his head in frustration, "all I could think about was both of you. I couldn't handle not bein' here for you." She felt her eyes sting and then his hand was on her cheek, stroking the skin there with his thumb. "I want both of you here, with me."

She blinked and felt a tear roll down and then she cursed under her breath, looking away so she could wipe it off quickly. "If your New Year's resolution was to make me cry, you've already succeeded."

"My resolution is you, Jen."

She pulled his head down and kissed him before the world imploded from him being too cheesy or before he said anything too crazy. She buried her head in his neck and hugged him while he reached under her thighs and picked her up around his waist. She instinctively wrapped her legs around him and held on as he walked them out of the room and pressed her up against the hall wall, his lips finding the skin of her neck.

She missed the way her body used to mold against his. Her expanding abdomen frequently felt in the way of so many things.

He pulled the tie on her robe, revealing cleavage when it loosened that his lips happily found their way down to. She let her head fall back against the wall and closed her eyes. Her stomach demanded food, but her libido was starting to demand a whole different satisfaction.

"Jethro?"

"Mm?"

"Either go get me breakfast or take me back to bed."

She wasn't surprised when he chose the latter by carrying her back into the bedroom.


She had to go into the office at one point during the afternoon of New Years day, to do an MTAC meeting and do some more paperwork regarding policy changes, but they spent the evening together at his house by making dinner, putting on an old movie, and cuddling on the couch.

She enjoyed the feeling of his chest and hips pressed against her back as he spooned her, and looked down to the hand he had resting on her stomach. She brushed her fingers against his knuckles before laying her hand over his.

"Did you warn your team you will be disappearing during the afternoon tomorrow?"

He gave a positive affirming grunt back.

"Did you give them a reason?"

He snorted. "Don't hafta give 'em a reason. None o' their business."

She smiled, shifting back into him a little more. They had a prenatal appointment tomorrow. She should have had it a good week ago, but the holidays had been far too busy for her to take extra time off of work. The last time they'd had an appointment it had been because of her being tackled to the ground, and they weren't exactly on the friendliest of terms then. Things were so different now.

She was told there would be a possibility to find out the gender at this appointment, depending on the baby's development and it's position. She had asked Jethro if he wanted to know the gender, and he had simply responded with "whatever you want" when she had brought it up during Christmas.

She wanted to know. She wanted to be prepared for the situation. She didn't like being in the dark about things that she didn't have to be in the dark about. She liked being in the "need to know". She didn't understand the ridiculousness other women had about wanting it to be a surprise. It seemed like it added an extra element of stress, especially when it came to the naming process.

The fact that she was going to have a baby and had to decide things like that still gave her a headache. She'd pretty much avoided any real and serious conversation about it since they'd gotten back together. But she had gotten massive since Jethro's accident. Everyone in the office over the holidays could clearly tell, but were also still clearly holding back from asking just in case. They obviously didn't want to be fired. So instead she just got constant looks and quizzical eyebrows. It was damn annoying.

But the worst part was that it was not only obvious to them, but so much more obvious to her. She was going to have a baby, and she still hadn't quite mentally embraced the fact even though her body was screaming it. Not to mention, she craved sweets like crazy all the time, and the holidays certainly hadn't helped her avoid the temptation. She swore there were sugary treats littering every part of the office the past couple of weeks, and she was pretty sure she'd gained more than just pregnancy weight.

"Jethro?"

"Mm?"

"Are you sure you are okay with knowing the gender?"

"Uh-huh."

She rolled her eyes at his typical, monosyllabic answers. She couldn't help but be paranoid. He had a kid before, and she couldn't stop comparing her situation. She was worried if they had a girl he'd be traumatized or something since his girl had died. She worried if it was a boy he'd be disappointed he wasn't having another girl, like it would be disappointing that it didn't have a chance to live up to his past experiences. She worried either way that he wouldn't love it as much as he had loved Kelly. She knew they were utterly ridiculous thoughts and she shouldn't be comparing the situations at all—it felt beyond horrible that such comparisons even came into her head in the first place—but still, his past circumstances would always have an impact on him.

She weaved her fingers in between his, as if looking for some kind of assurance, her eyes lingering on the movie that she hadn't paid any attention to over the last thirty minutes.

The appointment tomorrow, and the fact that he had basically invited her to live with him earlier, had been making her feel all over the place. She was anxious. She could see why he wanted her and the baby with him. That made sense, and she certainly didn't want to try and raise the kid on her own. When she realistically envisioned them having a baby together, it made sense to be in the same household. But she didn't intend to live with him full time quite yet. Everything felt so rushed already in the last few months, and her head was still spinning from it all. They were still in the early stages of being together again.

It felt like something was going to go wrong, because it always did with them. There was always something. The baby hadn't been planned, the sex that had led to that situation in the first place was on a whim. She would worry they were only together again because of it. At the same time she was grateful, because she knew she still harbored the same feelings for him that she had in Paris. They had never gone away. She still loved him, and she grew to love him more as everything progressed. She felt a deeper bond to him while she carried his baby.

"Jethro?"

"Hm?"

"What you said earlier, about wanting me and the baby to be here, to 'intrude'…"

"Yeah?"

"Was that you asking me to live with you? To move in?"

She felt his breath on her neck as he leaned into it, pressing a kiss to her neck. She could feel him smile. "Yeah, s'pose so."

She turned and sat up, looking down at him apprehensively. "Don't you think it's too soon? We've only been together for two months. We shouldn't rush into things."

"Rush into…" he trailed off, raising an eyebrow. He laughed, giving her stomach a pointed look. "Little late to be worried 'bout rushin' things, don't ya think?"

She bit her lip, just not sure about it all. "You're right, but…but two months?" She was seriously worried he was letting his compromised reputation with all his marriages dull his senses of what normal was in terms of relationships.

"First time we had sex was a good 8 or 9 years ago."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Six years of that we hadn't ever seen each other, plus an additional year after that of us just getting used to working together again."

"Still known each other for years," he shrugged. "Already lived together in Europe. Hell, we were married."

"We pretended to be married as part of our undercover identity."

He shrugged again. "Felt more married to you than any of my ex-wives."

She didn't like where this conversation was heading, feeling worried he was suddenly going to suggest marriage next. With his track record, she wouldn't be surprised. Surely after four times he wouldn't be that fazed by a fifth. She quickly steered the conversation away from that dangerous territory.

"I'm just worried that if we move too fast, things will fall apart again. We moved so quickly in Europe, and I think it blindsided both of us back then. We weren't ever thinking straight."

"Not gonna happen again."

"How do you know?" she demanded.

He sighed and sat up beside her, brushing his hand up her back and resting his fingers against her neck. "It's different. We're settled. Older. Got a baby comin'." He shrugged as if it were that simple.

"What if something happens to the baby?" she asked, not able to hold back on the dark thoughts. "What if something goes wrong and it-it dies?"

She saw him pale considerably, looking almost sick. She felt horrible for bringing such raw pain to his eyes, knowing he was thinking of losing Kelly—but she honestly needed to know. Because if something did happen—heaven forbid—she needed to know he wasn't going to blame her and then end things just because a baby was no longer involved and forcing him to be with her.

She saw the muscles in his jaw move as he clenched it. He swallowed, looking at her stomach and then looking away.

"Not gonna happen," he repeated in a whisper.

"But what if it does?"

"I care about you. You, Jen," he snapped. "Not just 'cause I got you pregnant."

"But if I had never gotten pregnant, we wouldn't even be here together."

"Yeah, instead I'd be sittin' down there with that damn boat. Miserable. If this is what it took to be with you again then I'm not complainin'. Got real sick of the way we were."

She felt the hand on her neck move and go down to her thigh, and she looked down at his hand there, tracing her finger over his knuckles. He was right. He was absolutely right. If this hadn't happened, she'd either be locked away in her father's study, probably drinking, or she'd be sitting in her office in front of piles of paperwork with a massive headache. She'd continue to be tortured every day when she saw his face, thinking about their time together in the past. Wishing she could put aside the job and let him in without any consequences. Jumping between extremes of wishing he'd fuck her against the nearest wall to wanting to smack him for being the most annoying bastard that ever lived.

The way they were before. The stubbornness. The pride. It really had been damn annoying. She knew she was the one to blame. She'd left him with that coat and letter, and yet he'd still given her a chance the minute they saw each other again—only for her to shoot him down. It had been her attempt at salvaging her image and position, not wanting the past to interfere at all. It didn't stop her heart from beating far too fast the minute she had laid eyes on him again. It didn't stop the steamy images from the past lighting up her brain. It didn't stop the pain that came with rejecting him on those stairs when she honestly wished she could be with him again.

She cared so much about her image and position that she had let go of the one good thing in her life.

He spoke up again, quietly. "If you're not on the same page, Jenny, I gotta know now. If you're gonna leave again…" he trailed off apprehensively.

"Usually I'm the one wanting you to tell me where you're at and communicate with me," she said with a sarcastic laugh, shaking her head at herself. She looked at his face, seeing the uncertainty and pain, seeing him bracing himself to be let down. It hurt to see. She didn't mean to freak him out. He'd been so patient with her the last couple of weeks, far more patient than she had deserved.

She twisted herself, straddling his lap with her hips and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. He placed a hesitant hand on her back, as if still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I couldn't leave you again. The first time hurt…too much. A second time would be unbearable." She left out the fact that she loved him, that she always had. That hadn't gone so well the last time. "I want you."

His arms wrapped around her, returning her hug as he pressed his face to her neck. They stayed that way for a little while, just enjoying the embrace and the assurance that they both did want to be together. She shifted and put a little distance between them so she could look at him.

"But I do need time before we live together. I'm still not used to all of, you know, this" she gestured to the stomach rudely protruding between them. "I need to take this one day at a time. I'm not getting rid of my house. I can't. I just, I need to get things figured out…okay?"

He clenched his jaw and she could see the wheels turning as he processed what she said. He didn't exactly look pleased, but after a few moments he gave a definitive nod and accepted it.

"Whatever you need, Jen." He pulled her forward and kissed her slowly, his large and warm hand resting against the skin of her neck again.

She smiled in relief against his lips. "Thank you."


Jenny glared at the image of herself in the mirror. She really wasn't a fan of the office maternity wear she had started wearing to work. She didn't like how she was getting bigger either. This kid was really cramping her style.

Maternity office pants weren't too terrible, other than the atrocious "belly panels" that went over your gut. But that was easily covered by a shirt. But the shirts, most of them just looked like tents. She had worked hard to find things that still looked flattering and stylish, not too tent-ish—but then she realized her figure was just different and there was nothing she could do to change it. She still hadn't stopped wearing some of her heels, much to Jethro's dismay. That was one sacrifice she was not yet willing to make.

She made sure she had her bag and checked her hair and make up one last time, grimacing again at the sight of her outfit. She was nervous for the appointment today and she didn't really know why. She didn't think she'd ever get used to the daunting reality that she was going to have a kid.

Jethro came out of the bathroom after combing his hair and wandered into the bedroom, seeing Jenny judging herself in the mirror. He admired the view for a few seconds. She was acting weirder about her appearance lately, and he honestly didn't understand why. Personally, he found her more sexy, almost irresistible. That glowing thing women talked about was true. She really did glow, and she just looked good. There was something about the fact that he had done that to her that made him feel accomplished. He didn't know why specifically, but he was more drawn to her. Add on the fact that her breasts were even larger…

He wandered over to her, wrapping his arms around her and looking at her in the mirror. "You look nice, Jen." He pressed his lips against her neck and breathed her in.

"I look more like a whale every day," she groaned.

He ignored the comment as his lips wandered, letting his hand brush against the side of her breast. "Could just skip the morning part of work," he suggested. "Appointment isn't until one. Could just roll around in bed until then."

She snorted, shaking her head at him. "Special Agent Gibbs," she mock reprimanded, "you shouldn't suggest such scandalous things to your Director. Especially when it comes to skipping out on your work duties."

"Sick days exist for a reason," he retorted. He turned her around and kissed her properly, sliding his hands down over her ass. He shifted back towards the bed with her, but she pulled away from him and patted his chest.

"I did not just spend ages getting ready for you to mess it all up." She wiped his lips off with her thumb, smearing off the lipstick he'd gotten on his own lips from kissing her.

With that she patted his face and walked away from him. He shrugged, his lip quirking up. Couldn't blame a man for trying. At least he could still enjoy the view of her ass as she walked away from him.

Still, he'd much rather be in bed with her than deal with his team. He swore they were getting more annoying, especially DiNozzo. Kid kept giving Jenny weird looks and then giving him weird looks. The office gossip was at an all-time high with Jenny's now very obvious pregnancy, and he heard wind of a pool going on. Damn morons couldn't keep their noses out of other peoples personal business and focus on work.

Jenny walked down the stairs, stopping abruptly and reaching for her hip instinctively when she realized someone was at the door and they were opening it. She cursed when she realized she didn't carry a gun on her side anymore and reached into her purse for her knife. The door swung open and she made eye contact with the intruder—

They just gaped at each other for a minute.

"Director Shepard?"

He glanced around for a second and peeked behind him outside, clearly checking to make sure he was in the right place. He made eye contact with her again.

"Agent Fornell," she greeted back, feeling the heat in her cheeks. It was like being caught doing something bad by the most annoying kid in class.

Great. Just great. Now the FBI was going to know and she and Jethro weren't going to get a minute of peace when the word spread around like wildfire. Fornell smirked at her, his shock wearing off as he adjusted to the surprise. He looked down at her stomach, his smirk growing wider.

"So, the rumors are true," he commented. "I suppose congratulations are in order. And I suppose I can now take a pretty good guess as to who the father is."

She rolled her eyes and then Jethro's voice boomed behind her.

"Tobias, what the hell are you doin' here?"

She turned around to see Jethro making his way to her on the stairs.

"I came to make sure you were alive and survived the holidays. You know, make sure that paint stripper didn't kill you. Guess I shouldn't have been concerned though. Looks like the Director has been taking good care of you."

He scowled at the remark and glared at the other man. "I'm fine. You can leave now, go give Diane your report."

"She and I got into a world class pissing match over Em during the holidays. We're not exactly on speaking terms. I didn't really take a shine to her wanting to whisk our kid away with her and her new boy toy on their little tropical Christmas getaway."

"Another guy, huh?" he snorted. "Poor bastard."

"Yeah," Fornell replied back with a laugh. "Still wish I would've listened to you. I'd have a lot more money. Maybe some hair too. Wouldn't have Emily though, so…" he shrugged.

Jenny was amused but also severely uncomfortable. She felt out of place and desperately wanted to extract herself from the situation. The talk of Diane didn't exactly help matters. She had one encounter with the woman back in her probie days with Jethro, and it hadn't been a pleasant exchange. The woman clearly despised her, despite having been divorced from Jethro for several years and married to Agent Fornell at the time. She felt Jethro's hand move on her back suddenly, and wondered just when he had put his hand there. She had given up on any of the excuses in her head as to why she would be here this early in the morning. She knew any lame excuse of "I was just dropping by" wouldn't be remotely believable.

"How's Em?" Jethro asked.

"She's good. She wanted me to drop off cookies she decorated for you over Christmas. Not actually sure where they ended up though. I was sent out of town on an op for the last week. They're either molding in one of my cupboards or I ate them when I was plastered."

"Your ex-wife probably found 'em and set fire to 'em."

"My ex-wife? Ha. You mean our ex-wife."

"Nah. She's still your problem, not mine."

"Clearly," Fornell replied, looking at Jenny again.

She felt sufficiently awkward at this point and decided to leave them to it, going down the rest of the stairs and brushing past Fornell into the kitchen. She needed to take her prenatal vitamin and grab some fruit or something for breakfast.

"So, you're shacking up with Director Shepard again, huh?"

"Tobias," he hissed, knowing Jenny could still hear almost every word.

"I heard the rumors that she was pregnant, but I didn't think it was with you. Thought you were probably just extra pissed and moping around 'cause of it."

"Who says it's mine?"

Fornell laughed, hard.

"Oh, please. I'm not stupid, Gibbs. Maybe you can keep it secret in the office, but here, this early in the morning? Means you either have a fetish for pregnant women, a death wish, or—"

"Will ya keep it down?"

"—and stick with me here, I know it's a silly assumption—maybe you're back together and she's pregnant with your kid."

He glared at Fornell, trying to get him to shut up with a look.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is she not aware she's pregnant?"

He shoved past Fornell and opened the door, gesturing for him to step out, ignoring the smirk the other man shot him. He stepped out behind him and closed the door, eyeing Jenny's detail parked on the other side of the street, ready to take her to work. Thank heavens their job description involved being discreet about her life.

"Is the house not supposed to know either? Or do you think Diane bugged your place?"

"Tobias, you can't tell people about this."

"If by 'people' you mean Diane, you can bet your dead ass I'm not going to. She'd rip my head off. She was always annoyed you didn't want kids, and she'll blow her top when she finds out you're having one with Shepard. If I'm remembering correctly, early in our marriage when she found out you were sleeping around with your young redheaded probie, she called her something along the lines of a 'conniving, gold-digging slut'."

"She can't claim gold-diggin' when she emptied my bank account," Jethro scoffed.

"She hated her more than Rebecca and Stephanie, and you married both of them."

Jethro rolled his eyes. Women. He never understood them and their weird power struggles and jealousy.

"I don't mean just Diane. I mean you can't tell anyone."

"Are you kidding? You want me to keep my mouth shut that the great Leroy Jethro Gibbs managed to knock up the Director of NCIS? I don't think so."

"This is the kinda thing that could kill Jenny's career right now."

"Yeah, you think?" Fornell gave a sarcastic laugh.

"I'm serious."

"You honestly think you can keep something like this a secret forever? Are you kidding? It's impossible. You'll both disappear at the same times and come back covered in spit up and smelling of diapers. It's going to raise some pretty obvious red flags."

"I know that," he snapped. "I don't mean forever. Just for now. Just for a couple more months."

"Why not just let the flood gates loose now? Everyone's gonna find out sooner rather than later, may as well rip the band-aid off."

"I swear, if word gets loose right now, I'm blamin' it on you. I'm gonna send Diane a list of every woman I know you've ever slept with."

Fornell laughed.

"I'm serious. She'll spread the word. Don't think the CIA's gonna like hearin' about that drunk one-night stand with their Director's now ex-wife."

"You wouldn't," Fornell replied, going pale. "You're seriously blackmailing me? You'd jeopardize my life and my career like that?"

"If it involves you jeopardizing Jen's, then you can bet your ass."

They stared each other down and then Fornell let out a breath and gave a nod, smiling and shaking his head.

"Son of a bitch. You really love her."

He stared Fornell down, not bothering to deny it as he waited for an answer.

"Fine. I won't tell anyone I know it's you."

Jethro gave a nod in thanks and they just stood in silence for a few seconds. Fornell put his hands on his hips and then looked at him.

"Is she really his ex-wife now?"

"What?" Jethro questioned.

"Tammy. CIA Director's wife. She's available now?"

Jethro laughed and shook his head. He should've known. "Don't do it. You know she's crazier than Diane."

"Well, you know me. Didn't listen the last time you warned me about someone," Fornell replied with a laugh. "Still, think I might ask around, get her number. She's prettier than Diane and that'll drive Diane insane. I need some payback after her flaunting that stupid boyfriend of hers around."

"If it's worth puttin' up with another psycho woman and an emptier bank account, go for it."

"Might be, she gives a really great blow—"

He put his hands up in disgust and turned around to the door, opening it and stopping the thread of the conversation there. "You need help," he threw over his shoulder.

"As if. I'm not the one having a baby. You're the one who's gonna need all the help you can get."

"Bye, Tobias."

"Hey, don't be a stranger. Emily loves to see 'Uncle Gibbs', for some reason. Not sure why, it's beyond me."

He closed the door, chuckling to himself.


It had taken a while to assure Jenny that Tobias wasn't going to tell, and the unexpected visit had already put them both more behind, so they were both late to work as he followed behind her detail. He really hated the traffic in D.C. sometimes.

He clenched his jaw and gripped the steering wheel, his hands almost numb from the cold. He was about ready to jump out of his car and shoot whatever the cause for this traffic buildup was. The windows of her details car were heavily tinted, but he could make out the general shape of her from the back window when he squinted.

She seemed more nervous to him the past couple of days. Almost restless. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do to help her. He worried some days that she was regretting everything about the pregnancy and him. She said she wanted to be with him and that she was just getting used to things, but he could still feel her hesitancy. He was nervous himself, it wasn't like he'd planned any of this, but he still felt like she was over complicating everything.

Then again, she'd never done this before. He at least had some kind of past experience to draw on.

By the time they'd reached work they were both thirty minutes late. Her detail dropped her off right by the entrance while he found a place to park, and he was surprised to see her waiting by the elevator for him. On the days they went in at the same time she was always careful to rush in and make sure it didn't look like they were coming in together. He decided not to comment on it and just gave her a little smile that she returned before her eyes darted around.

When the elevator opened, he was relieved to see an empty one as they stepped in together. She laced her hand into his when the doors closed and he looked down at their hands and then to her, seeing her bite her lip.

"You okay?" he whispered.

"I'm-I don't know."

He reached forward with his free hand and flipped the switch, darkness surrounding them as he turned towards her.

"Jen?"

"I'm nervous about the appointment."

He blinked, realizing he should hold back the comment in his brain that he thought it was utterly ridiculous to be nervous. It was a routine appointment. Far more routine than the last appointment, which she hadn't seemed to care about then.

"What if they find something wrong? What if it's heart doesn't beat this time?"

"Does something feel wrong?" he asked, swallowing as he looked to her stomach and then to her worried eyes. She'd brought up the baby dying last night too and she was starting to freak him out.

"No, everything feels the same. I just…I don't want to be caught off guard."

He breathed a sigh of relief. Why the hell did women think about things like that? Why did they get paranoid thinking the worst was always going to happen?

"I'm sure it's fine," he assured her. The look she gave him told him she clearly didn't believe him. "Jen, it's a baby. Women have 'em all the time. It's normal. Nothin' like those dangerous ops we went on."

"You're telling me I'm being ridiculous?"

He opened his mouth and closed it, his brain going haywire and trying to figure out what he was supposed to say. He didn't like these traps.

"No, you're right," she moaned, breaking her hand from his and rubbing her head with both of her hands. "I'm turning into one of those women I hate."

He thanked everything holy that she didn't go into some hormonal outburst and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her against him as he kissed the top of her head. "You're just bein' a mom."

She was quiet for a minute and he felt her wrap her arms around him and hug him back, before she broke apart and quickly patted her hair and brushed herself off.

"I never wanted to be called that," she remarked. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Mom. Mommy. Any of those motherly titles. I wanted underlings who called me 'Boss' and 'Chief' instead." With that she flipped the switch.

"Guess you got both, Director."

"And it's your fault, underling."

"I don't mind takin' the blame. Means I'm the one who gets to call ya Chief in bed."

"Do not start calling me Chief when—"

The ding sounded and the doors opened to his floor. He smirked at her as she blushed and closed her mouth, glancing at the doors to make sure no one was there.

"You gettin' out here, Chief?"

She slapped his arm and glared. "No. You're getting out here, it's your floor. I'm going back down to the main floor and having Cynthia bring me the paperwork I need from my office. I have a meeting in thirty minutes that my detail needs to take me to."

The doors started to close and he reached his arm out, keeping them open as he gave her a look.

"Meeting?"

"Need to know." She patted his chest and gave him a patronizing smile that he glared at. "Meet you by your car at noon?"

He nodded in response and let his eyes look her up and down, resisting the urge to kiss her or grab her butt in farewell. She motioned with her head for him to get out and lightly kicked him in the shin. He glared down at the ridiculous sharp objects on her feet and avoided her smirk as he turned out of the elevator.

He saw the glee on DiNozzo's face as the agent noticed him, instantly regretting how late he was.

"I told you guys he's fine," the agent announced to the bullpen as he got closer. "Hard time getting out of bed, Boss? Perhaps a woman was—"

DiNozzo's mouth shut when he directed a fierce glare at the agent and stood in front of his desk.

"Traffic jam," he muttered darkly, enjoying the flinch of the other agent when he moved slightly. He smirked and headed to his desk.

"That's what they all say," DiNozzo laughed nervously. "Kind of like 'the dog ate my homework'."

"Ducky was looking for you," Ziva announced.

He stopped, thinking for a minute. They didn't have a body in autopsy. "He say why?"

"He did not."

He gave a nod and went to his desk, deciding to put his things away before he went down to autopsy.

"The Director is in now, yes?"

He looked to his female agent at her question, seeing something in her eyes. Like she knew. It was a look she'd been giving him a lot lately. Her keen observational skills even made him wary.

"Hell if I know," he brushed off, looking away from her annoyingly calculated gaze.

"It was her talking with you in the elevator, was it not?"

He should have known her sharp ears would have been listening to them.

"Jabberin' my ear off 'bout some meeting," he replied. Ziva's eyes met him again, and he wasn't sure if he was proud or irritated by that conceited look.

"A meeting?" DiNozzo piped up.

"It's need to know," he responded triumphantly. At least he could use that stupid phrase on his own underlings. He shut a drawer and stepped away from his desk, heading out of the bullpen. "Gonna see what Ducky needs."

He could already hear DiNozzo conspiring in whispers as he left and he shook his head. Kid acted like everything was supposed to be some spy movie.

When he made it down the elevator and walked through the autopsy doors, he was met with the usual sight of Ducky elbow deep in a body with Palmer assisting.

"Heard ya wanted to see me, Duck."

"Ah, Jethro. Yes, quite. Give me a minute."

He watched as they weighed the liver and made notes, before the doctor and his assistant removed their PPE.

"Mr. Palmer, if you would please, go to Abby's lab and see how those results are coming along."

"Which results?" the assistant questioned.

"Yes, precisely."

Palmer's complete confusion dawned into realization as he looked between the two of them. "Yeah, I mean, yes, sure thing, Doctor Mallard." He looked at Gibbs, stammering out an awkward "Agent Gibbs" before he made his way out.

"What's up?" he finally asked Ducky.

"When is Jennifer due?"

He was caught off guard, and he narrowed his eyes, looking around. "Why ya askin' me?"

"Please don't think me so foolish, Jethro."

He gazed at the doctor for another second, wondering just how everyone seemed to know. He shouldn't be surprised Ducky knew, after all, he did know their history very well. Still…were they being just as obvious as they had been back in the day?

"I'm quite sure you are the father and that you two are back together, unless I am sorely mistaken. Judging by your interactions in the hospital before Christmas, it seems to me a logical conclusion."

Oh. The hospital. Now that he thought about it, Ducky had disappeared after Jenny had shown up. He cleared his throat, giving the doctor a sheepish smile.

"Mid-June," he finally relented.

"Congratulations to the both of you." Ducky beamed. "Do you know the gender?"

"Not yet."

"Please do tell me when you know."

He couldn't help but smile back at the doctor. It felt strangely good, being able to talk about it. Ducky had always been a father figure of sorts, and goodness knows the man had to put up with a lot between him and Jenny in Europe. The man had been there from the start.

Ducky opened his mouth and then hesitated. "Am I right in assuming this was not a planned occurrence?"

He pressed his lips together and didn't answer.

"Surprises are often a good thing. If you are both happy, that is all that matters."

"Yeah, well, we'll see."

Ducky gave him a studying look. "I see there is perhaps some apprehension on your part."

He shrugged. "Jen seems…I don't know. It's hard for her."

"Give her time, Jethro. Jennifer has always been headstrong. She doesn't like to be ill-prepared, as you well know. She made it to our Director for a reason."

Jethro let it sink in, nodding.

"Besides, both of you are two of the most stubborn and determined people I know. You need someone like her who can put up with you."

"Hey," he protested, glaring at the other man.

Ducky shrugged. "It's true, and you know it. Other than your first, I've been witness to your marriages, which were rocky at best. But I was also witness to you and Jennifer rollicking about in Europe. She's good for you, as you are for her."

He didn't disagree. He knew Ducky was right. "You'll keep this quiet?" he asked.

"My lips are sealed, dear boy. I shall not spoil your secret."

"Thanks, Duck." He turned to leave, feeling they'd covered the subject sufficiently, but Ducky called his name and stopped him. He turned to look at the doctor.

"Are you aware there is an office pool…or, shall I say, several office pools, concerning our Director's pregnancy?"

He felt his eye twitch. So he'd been right that there was some pool—well, pools, apparently—going on. He wasn't surprised. Still, why the hell couldn't people keep their noses out of each others personal affairs at work?

"Pools?"

"Indeed. The office was positively buzzing after Christmas. Whether it is a boy or girl. Whether our lovely Director will stay on after. If the father works at NCIS or not. I'm fairly certain they wanted to start one on if the dad was a certain Agent Gibbs, but I think they feared they would be fired for that. I've also heard rumor that her lover is a super secret spy for the CIA, much like an American James Bond."

He shook his head, smirking at the last one. People. He knew without a doubt who the contributor of the James Bond rumor was, and possibly all the pools to boot.

"You in on any of 'em?"

"Oh, but of course. I've got a good amount on the father working here."

He chuckled. "Ya don't feel like you're cheatin'?"

"Well, I didn't know with a surety until just now. I figure I'm due recompense for my blind eye in Europe."

He cringed, not even wanting to think about the things Ducky had pretended not to hear or notice. He was definitely a good sport.

"There is nothing stopping you from getting in on the pools yourself, you know," Ducky said, a definite twinkle in his eye.

Jethro smiled wide, feeling a range of ideas run through his head. The man was right.

"Thanks, Duck," he said, giving an appreciative nod as they smirked at each other. With that he turned and left back to work in the bullpen.

When twelve hundred neared he got up from his desk, seeing his entire team eyeing him as he put his coat on.

"Off to the need to know meeting with the Director, boss?"

He looked over to DiNozzo. "It's just bureaucratic crap. Waste of my time, havin' pissin' matches with agencies, 'specially the CIA." He got the reaction he wanted, seeing Tony's eyes light up. "Director's just impressin' people."

"The CIA?"

He ignored the question and walked out with a muttered "be back later". He was sure DiNozzo would be spinning more tales over their lunch break.


They walked out of the hospital, hand in hand with the new scans from the appointment.

It was still too early to definitively tell the gender, but she had her important 20 week appointment scheduled in three weeks for the anatomy scan, and they would know the gender then.

She smiled at the scans in her free hand, relieved that everything was going well.

"Told ya it'd be fine," he remarked, squeezing her hand.

She looked down at their hands. He'd been clingier than she was used to him being in public. At first, she'd thought he was just trying to reassure her after her paranoid outburst earlier in the elevator. But now she sensed he was trying to ground himself too. She knew aspects of this were hard for him with his past.

He had pretty much always kept a hand on her ever since they left the office. Holding her hand in the car, keeping a hand on her knee in the waiting room, gluing his hand to her back whenever they moved anywhere. It was comforting, and at some points slightly annoying.

The last appointment, it had felt like they were worlds apart, and he'd been deadly quiet. She much preferred the touchy side. He'd even made random remarks while they waited and made conversation. It was a relief they were in a relationship this time around, as opposed to the awkward position they'd been in before. She didn't miss the tension that used to be present every time they were in a room together.

Hearing that heartbeat was just as awe inducing as the first time. She had tears in her eyes again, and when she looked up at him he had a big smile and gave her the most loving look. It was the kind of moment she wished wouldn't fade.

She felt more sure about things. About the baby, about Jethro. Things were getting more real, and she knew she needed to start preparing for and embracing things. She looked at Jethro, seeing him eyeing a group of nurses gathered by a car.

"Tony still datin' a nurse?"

She smirked. "He is, funnily enough. Her name is Keira. She's blonde, of course, and apparently," she lowered her voice in a mock Tony impression, "smoking hot".

He snorted, shaking his head.

They got into the car and she looked down at one of the scans again, amazed that this little human blob was seriously developing inside of her.

He leaned his head down by hers, looking at it too. "Looks like you."

She gasped in outrage, looking at his stupid smirk and punching him in the shoulder. "You are the one responsible for putting it inside of me. If anyone ends up ruining the gene pool, it will be you."

"That's on you. Shoulda chosen a better mate."

"Clearly. I should sue Tom Morrow for sticking me on your team. He doomed my future child."

"You tellin' me Morrow ordered you to seduce me?"

"He gave me a choice between you and Burley"—she then whispered conspiratorially—"you had the bigger hands."

She swore he actually blushed. She picked up his hand and kissed it, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Still tryin' to seduce me?" he whispered.

"Is it working?"

He eyed her up and down and then shrugged. "I haven't decided yet."

That earned him another smack to the arm as he smirked and started the car.

"Takin' you out to eat. Whaddya want?"

"Do you take all the girls you impregnate out to eat after doctor appointments?

"Only the ones with big breasts."

She opened her mouth to protest—

"Hey," he cut in, "you're the one havin' a baby just 'cause of big hands."

She pursed her lips and smiled, giving him the win.


They ended up getting fast food for the sake of time and went back to NCIS, where they parked and ate their food.

She slurped the chocolate shake she made him get her, pulling one of the scans out of her purse for the millionth time.

"Jethro?"

"Mm?"

"We're going to have to figure out a name, you know."

"Yeah. Usually what people do."

"This is serious, Jethro. This will be what defines our child as a person. It will be what they answer to for the rest of their life. It will be the name everyone sees on his or her office door when they pass by."

"Office door?" He laughed through a mouthful of food. "Kid isn't even outta the womb yet."

"We still need a name before it's born."

He looked at her, surprised by how seriously she was taking this. Then again, he shouldn't be surprised. She didn't like not being prepared, as Ducky had pointed out earlier. Still, she had seemed different since the appointment. Like she was finally starting to accept the whole ordeal and not keep ignoring the inevitable. He swallowed his food, looking at her thoughtfully.

"Okay," he agreed. "You have names in mind?"

He remembered Shannon had a whole list of names for boys and girls, some of which she'd said she loved since she was a little girl. Women always seemed to have their weddings and kids names planned before any of it even mattered.

"I thought if it was a boy, Anthony would be a great choice."

He nearly choked on the bite he had just taken, fixing her a glare as she laughed. "No," he growled.

"I'm joking. People would think it was DiNozzo who knocked me up if we did that."

His stomach churned at that thought and he looked at his food distastefully, deciding he had maybe eaten enough.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I've never thought about names."

"Never?"

"Well, I mean, everyone has a fleeting thought about it at some point or another. There are names you like and names you don't. But I'd never seriously thought about what I'd actually name my own child." She shrugged, sipping on the shake again. "I never wanted one, so I didn't waste energy thinking about it."

He looked at her, realizing that was maybe why he liked her so much compared to other women. She wasn't like a lot of women he had been with. Sure, she liked girly stuff like fancy heels, clothes, makeup, and prissy cars—but she didn't live in a fantasy world. She wasn't overly romantic and sappy. She had a solid understanding of the working world and responsibility. She could hold her own. She didn't want to be reliant on anyone. Sometimes it was damn annoying, but other times it was a relief.

"What were your parents names?"

Her question pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked at her guardedly, his dead mom and estranged father flashing through his mind. She stared at him, tilting her head thoughtfully.

"I'm having your baby and I don't even know what your parents names were."

He shrugged. "Don't know yours either." All he remembered from getting to know her in Paris was that her mom had been a "bitch", and he wasn't even sure if the woman was alive or not. Her dad he knew was dead, had been a Colonel, and was a very sore topic—though he didn't know why.

"Hm, I suppose you don't." She sighed, putting her shake in the cup holder. "My mom…her name was Shirley. She was complicated. Wild. Didn't like to be tied down. My father loved her, and I'm fairly sure she loved him. But she couldn't stand his deployments. I guess she got bored and lonely. Being a mom wasn't high on her priority list, it turns out."

He swallowed, realizing she was implying that her mother had abandoned her. "Your dad?" he prompted, not able to stand the quiet or the sadness in her eyes.

"My dad." She laughed, shaking her head. "The Colonel. Jasper Shepard. Unstoppable."

He could sense from her expressions and tone how fiercely proud she was of the man.

"He was solid. Honest. Responsible. Loyal. He never—" her voice shook and she stopped, taking a breath and gathering her emotions "—he never neglected me. No matter how far away he was or for how long. He made clear to me how much he loved me. When my mom left, he made coming back home and working near me to be a priority. He stayed there until he died, when I was in college."

She let out a harsh laugh, shaking her head as anger hit her eyes. "They said he committed suicide, but he was murdered. They were covering their asses about something and buried it all under the rug."

He was shocked by the revelation, realizing she'd had a harsher past than he'd ever realized. It made some things about her make a little more sense. He grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze of comfort.

"He had this sense of humor," her voice shook, "ugh." She stopped again, lifting her hand away from his so she could use her hands to carefully wipe off her eyes. She let out a breath and smiled. "He was quick-witted, sharp, had a comeback for everything. It was annoying sometimes."

So that was where she got it, he thought to himself.

"He could burn a man where he stood with a look. Hm…"

He watched her think, as if a revelation had just come to her.

"He was actually…quite a bit like you. Ew."

"Ew?" he scoffed, insulted.

"Jethro, I don't like thinking about how it's like I'm having a baby with my dad."

"I'm not your dad."

"No, but you have similar personalities. Plus, you're old."

"Hey."

"Don't 'hey' me. You're the one taking advantage of a girl who clearly has deep set daddy issues. A definite father complex."

"Jen," he groaned tiredly, looking away and pressing the back of his head against his seat. She was enjoying teasing him far too much, and he didn't see how this line of teasing could go anywhere positive for him.

"Oh, lighten up, old man" she chuckled. "If anything you should be flattered. I never thought any other man would be as dear to my heart as my dad. If he were still alive, he'd probably give you hell for taking his place. Anyways, it's your turn. Tell me about the people who managed to create the one and only Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

He looked back at her again, pursing his lips as he thought about what to say. He took a breath and looked out the windshield.

"Ann. That was my mom."

He stopped, the harsh memories hitting him harder than he expected. He never discussed his mom. She had been the first woman who meant everything to him. The first person he had loved who had been taken away from him.

"She was…positive. Made the best of any situation. Strong. Attentive. A good mom. Helped me sail my first boat." He chuckled, steadying his breath, feeling her place her hand on his arm in comfort.

"Died when I was ten. Cancer. When it got bad she took her life. Didn't want my dad an' I to watch her suffer."

He clenched his jaw at those painful memories. Things had never been the same in Stillwater since then.

"That's…oh Jethro, I'm sorry you had to go through that."

He shrugged, moving on from the painful topic. "Dad's name is Jackson."

He nodded, figuring that was all he really needed to say on his dad. He didn't have anything else he wanted to say about the man.

"Wait," she finally said. "Is? He's still alive?"

"Last I checked," he said with a shrug.

She pulled her hand away from his arm and turned to look at him more. "Your dad is still alive and you never told me?"

He didn't like the accusatory sound in her voice.

"So? Doesn't matter. Not in touch with 'im."

"Why not? Why haven't you ever mentioned him?"

"He brought a date to my wife and daughter's funeral," he snapped, glaring at her.

He saw her chew her lip, grimacing at what he'd said. They sat in silence, the car weighed down with the depressing details of their parents.

"I guess we can cross Shirley and Jackson off the list of potential names," she joked, trying to ease the tension. "And much as I love and miss my dad, I would never subject my child to the name Jasper."

"He have a middle name?" he asked, grateful that she hadn't pressed him further.

"Henry."

"Could use that then."

"Definitely better than Jasper. I love your mom's name, if it's a girl. Ann. It's pretty. It isn't ridiculous. Would you be okay if we consider it?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "It was-" he swallowed "-it was Kelly's middle name. Shannon's mom was Joann, mine was Ann. Worked well."

She hesitated, always unsure where to tread when the subject of his dead daughter and wife were brought up. She was never sure what was appropriate to say without overstepping.

"How long did it take you and Shannon to figure out what to name Kelly?"

"Too long," he said with a laugh. "She was makin' lists the second she found out. Narrowed it down before I deployed. Let her pick the final one since I wasn't there."

"That must have been hard."

"Yeah."

After a comfortable silence they began to pile the wrappers and remains of food into one bag so they could throw it all away.

"I suppose we could do a name that begins with J," she commented. "Seems to be a recurring thing. Jethro, Jennifer, Jasper, Jackson, Joann."

"Could."

"We'll have a whole brood of children and give them all J names just for fun. We'll breed an army of J's."

He laughed, shaking his head at the idea. He turned his head on the headrest, seeing her looking down at the scan in her lap again. A small smile graced her features, and he felt himself smile at the sight. She was beautiful.

She sighed, grabbing her purse and flipping open the mirror as she looked at her blotched makeup. "We really need to get inside soon. I'm later than I told Cynthia I would be."


"How was the super secret meeting, Boss?"

"Long," he responded to DiNozzo as he walked in the bullpen, doing his best to act pissed off. It was kind of hard after being with Jenny for the last couple of hours.

He put his coat away and deposited his gun and phone in a drawer.

"How was the CIA?" DiNozzo questioned further.

He looked around, as if making sure no one was listening to them. He made his way over to DiNozzo's desk.

"Hey," he muttered, glancing around suspiciously again, "I hear there's a bet goin' on 'bout the father of the Director's kid. Whether he works here or not."

DiNozzo's mouth dropped open, looking sufficiently caught off guard and guilty. "What? Pfft, no. I mean, where—"

"I want in."

He'd never seen DiNozzo so stunned into silence before.

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me."

"I thought-you're not the-wait, how do you-?" DiNozzo's sputtering was hard not to smirk at.

"I want in," he repeated. "Pretty sure I know who it is. Damn asshole."

"You're serious?"

"Director is kissin' ass with the CIA for a reason," he whispered conspiratorially, fixing DiNozzo a pointed look.

"Seriously?" DiNozzo whispered back, his mouth dropping again.

"Knew the guy back in the day. Real bastard. Thinks he's some good lookin' hotshot," Jethro muttered.

It was taking his all to remain serious and annoyed and not start laughing. Ziva and McGee had been hanging on the entire conversation from their desks.

"What's his name?" DiNozzo whispered, looking around.

"Can't tell ya that. He's deep undercover."

DiNozzo mouthed "undercover", looking like an excited kid hearing some bedtime story from his parent.

"So what's the vig?" Jethro asked.

"Oh, only two bucks, boss. So you're betting that the dad doesn't work for NCIS then?"

"Well yeah, DiNozzo." He grabbed his wallet and tossed a $20 bill at the other agent.

"You've got me curious about this guy, boss."

He smirked, figuring he could have a little more fun. He leaned in close and whispered, "Best I can do are his undercover initials."

"Really?"

It was hard not to laugh at how enthusiastic the kid was. And hard to not want to slap him for being gullible. He really needed to pound Rule 3 into the kid.

"J.B.," he muttered to DiNozzo. "You can't let that get out," he added, glaring hard.

"Sure thing, boss."

He turned away from the desk and headed to his own, seeing DiNozzo mutter the initials in shock. He shook his head, feeling his lip quirk up. Perhaps the James Bond fantasy would distract the kid a little too much, but at least the kid wouldn't be as focused and gossipy about him. He'd probably need to inform Jenny about the whole thing before DiNozzo came to her trying to ask crazy questions about the CIA.

He looked to his side, catching eyes with Ziva. She raised an eyebrow at him, clearly amused by his antics, but also still seeming to tell him that she knew. He gave a small shrug in return and she smirked, going back to her work.

It struck him how important it was that Ziva and Jenny had a bond and trusted each other. He hadn't liked it at first, and he didn't like when Ziva would go to Jenny with things or do dirty work for her—but Jenny didn't have anyone else when she came here.

She didn't have parents. She didn't have siblings. She lived in a house of dead memories, just like him. She didn't have any close friends. She must have been lonely.

It made him even more determined to be there for her—for them.