A/N: This chapter takes place during the time period that the episode "Blowback" would have aired. Gotta say, I vastly prefer a pregnant Jenny going to Stillwater with Jethro instead of what happened in canon.
Jenny stared at the number written out on the piece of paper on her desk. She kept glancing at the phone. She'd certainly made more nerve-wracking calls than this for her job—but this held a whole awkwardness of its own that she had never dealt with before.
She and Jethro had both arranged for time off at the same time so that they could go to Stillwater. When she'd found out the other night that Jethro had not given his father a heads up that he would be coming, it had started an argument. Unlike him, she didn't grow up thinking it was okay to just barge people's doors down without invitation and make an entrance. In polite society, one tends to call before showing up. This allows for the host to be properly prepared for a guest.
And what if the man happened to be out of town? There was no point in driving there if he wasn't going to be there.
Perhaps his father really didn't care like Jethro had insisted. Perhaps it was his father who taught him to just barge down doors and be impolite. But she had a feeling it was more just Jethro not wanting to talk to the man before he absolutely had to.
So she'd found Jackson Gibbs' number and took it upon herself to give the man a call and let him know he had two guests dropping by this weekend. She hadn't told Jethro she was going to…which opened a whole other can of worms. But she figured she'd rather deal with sulky Jethro than feel rude and intrusive.
What was she supposed to call him when he answered? Mr. Gibbs? Jackson? Grandfather of my future child? Perhaps this was a bad idea.
"Don't be a coward, Shepard," she muttered. It was better than the calls she had to make to inform wives that their husbands were gone because she had failed to protect her agents.
She picked up the phone and dialed as quickly as possible taking a breath at the first dial and trying to figure out how best to go about this. Did she say she was his boss or…
"Hello. Jackson Gibbs speaking."
She opened her mouth, coming up empty. The old voice had a definite growl to it that reminded her of Gibbs. Though he was much more polite in the way he answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Mr. Gibbs," she said lamely, feeling like she was eight and embarrassed to get the parent of her best friend on the landline.
"Please, call me Jackson."
Her eyebrows furrowed. Was this seriously Jethro's dad? A hello and please in one conversation?
"Jackson," she corrected, "this is Jenny Shepard."
"Hi, Jenny. What can I do for ya?"
Was Jethro adopted?
"I, uh, I'm your son's um…" she really hated the way girlfriend sounded "…partner. Jethro's partner."
"What happened?"
"Nothing happened," she shot out, realizing she had given him the impression Jethro had gotten hurt. She could slap herself. She was done being ridiculous, it was time to act like an adult.
"Jethro is doing just fine. I'm calling to ask if he and I could stay with you this weekend. We wanted to visit."
Another pause.
"Leroy wants to visit?" The man gave a chuckle, clearly not believing it. She smiled at the use of Leroy.
"Yes. I wanted to meet you."
"Ah, a woman with the ability to strong-arm my son. You must be awful pretty. You sure Leroy ain't afraid of me tryin' to steal you away if you visit?"
She blushed. So this was where Jethro got his charm. Too bad he hadn't picked up the politeness too.
"I'm sure he's more afraid of the things you might tell me about him," she retorted.
"That he should be. I got a lotta stories. This weekend, huh?"
"Yes, if it works for you. We were thinking of leaving Thursday and coming back on Monday."
"Works just fine for me. Is he with you right now?"
"No, he…well, he doesn't know I called," she admitted. "He wanted to just drop in."
Jackson sighed. "Sounds like him. He's not much one with manners."
She snorted. "No, he's not."
"Tried to teach him, but he's not much one for listenin' either. Didn't really teach him much of anything."
She smirked. She decided she really liked this man.
"Leroy…is he doin' okay?"
"He is," she replied, drifting her hand across her abdomen. "He's been doing very well."
"That's good. I'm glad to hear it." She could hear the sigh of relief in his voice. "I'll be seein' the two of ya this weekend then. It was Jenny, wasn't it?"
"Yes."
"Mighty pretty name."
She smiled, shaking her head. "Thank you, Jackson." It was almost surprising that it was Gibbs who had been married so many times and not his dad.
"Thank you, Jenny. I look forward to meetin' ya." With that the line clicked.
He sounded so…nice. So polite. Jethro tended to be a stubborn bastard most of the time. Though he was quite the teddy bear underneath that gruff show he put on. He was nicer than he let on. It was strange to her that he and his nice sounding father had such a falling out. Maybe Jackson would be more of a jerk in person. Maybe he wasn't as good a man as he seemed. Goodness knows that Gibbs came across as a worse person than he was, so maybe it was the opposite with his dad. Still, she hadn't gotten any strange vibes on the phone.
She thought about her own dad. Jethro was so much like him. The Colonel and Gibbs would have either understood and respected each other, or hated the hell out of each other because of how similar they were. Perhaps both.
She sighed, stretching in her chair a little and massaging her feet together. She was 22 weeks, and while she had gotten a surge of energy lately and quite the libido with it, it didn't take away the fact that her bump was getting large, her feet were swollen, she was getting stretch marks, her belly button was expanding into an outtie, she got random leg cramps, her back would ache on occasion, and her boobs were starting to leak. It wasn't like they leaked a lot or that it happened constantly, it was just tiny droplets on occasion—but it was still a strange new change in her body.
She was worried the tiny leakage would increase a lot more, that one of these days Jethro was going to squeeze her boob and get an eye of milk. She smirked at the thought. Gone was her figure, gone were her outfits, gone were her days of attempting heels. She glared down at the boring, flat, black loafers on her feet.
If her sex drive hadn't been so high, she probably wouldn't let Jethro touch her. The kind of confidence she had usually worn in herself before was effectively shot to hell. She felt gross. She was ten times more nervous about being naked around Jethro, but her libido and the way he touched her was enough to drive those fears away quickly during the act. He certainly wasn't complaining about her increased desire. Her last surge had been when they'd first gotten together, but then things had calmed down a lot.
Hopefully it would chill a bit this weekend. The idea of having sex in his estranged dad's house was definitely not on her bucket list. She wasn't sure what kind of Jethro she was going to be dealing with either. He got grumpy any time the subject of going to his dad's was brought up, and she was honestly worried she was going to be dealing with that the whole time they were there. Like dealing with him back in Europe when he'd gotten shot. He'd been a complete ass then. He was in pain and exhausted, yet he had refused to take painkillers and rest like he should. Sometimes it seemed like he just wanted to be miserable.
She wanted it to be a good trip where she could get to know his father and growing up years, where maybe him and his dad could part on good terms—but she feared she was just forcing a burning bridge to entirely collapse. Hopefully this wouldn't set fire to the bridge she and Jethro had finally reconstructed between them too.
"Jeez, Jenny, 's only four nights."
She rolled her eyes and ignored the comment as he threw her last two bags into the back of the truck. She honestly didn't understand how he fit all of his things into his backpack. He must have decided to re-wear the same pair of jeans he already had on for the whole trip. She was pretty sure he'd only worn the same two pairs of jeans throughout the entirety of their Europe op. His frugality was honestly irritating.
He was grumpy today, that much was clear. She'd gotten him to cheer up for a while when they'd woken up, but the euphoria of that fun hadn't lasted long after, especially when he'd decided she was responsible for making them "late". That had made her scoff. They couldn't be late when they didn't even have a set time for getting there. Heaven forbid they leave when the sun was actually up.
She hadn't ended up telling him that she'd called Jackson. She figured it would just start an unnecessary fight. It wasn't something that could be taken back or changed at this point, and she figured it wasn't going to matter when they were there. He'd just have to deal with it.
"You ready to go?"
She glared at him for the impatient tone. "No, I'm just standing here doing nothing and watching you for kicks and giggles."
Now he was the one glaring and rolling his eyes. He stepped past her and opened the truck door moodily for her and she got in, trying to not snap at him for his mood. She knew he had his reasons, but still. She did the quick check list in her head, trying to make sure she had everything, and that she had locked his front door after she left and turned everything off.
He got in his side, grumbling under his breath as he started the truck and they pulled on their seat belts.
"Do you want to stop for your coffee?" she asked as he pulled out of the drive. She was pretty sure he hadn't eaten anything this morning, and she knew grabbing some kind of food and his coffee would do them both some good. She knew from their days together way back that he would become even more bear-like and unreasonable without sustenance. The man for some reason madly thought he could actually function like a normal human being without fueling his body.
"Gonna set us back even more," he grumbled.
"You'll feel better with your coffee."
He took his eyes off the road for a second to glare at her.
"Jethro, I'm serious. Let's get you your coffee. I want a muffin anyway."
He gave an impatient sigh.
"Ten or fifteen extra minutes isn't that big of a difference. I'm not putting up with you on a road trip when you're cranky because you haven't eaten."
"Fine," he grumbled, glaring even harder at the road.
She swore this man was a literal toddler sometimes. Putting up with an infant might be easier than putting up with him in his bad moods.
When they set off for the road, coffee and muffins in tow, his mood slowly started to improve. By the time he'd gotten half of his coffee in and she'd forced him to eat a muffin, he seemed a little more like himself. She could tell the stress of this whole thing was wearing on him.
An hour into the drive she looked away from the scenery and looked at him instead. She could see the anxiety in his eyes. She unbuckled herself and moved across the leather into the tiny middle seat, buckling herself in there before she rested her hand on his thigh.
He gave her hand a suspicious glance. "What are you doin?"
"Sitting by you."
"I'm drivin'."
"I know that," she snorted. "I'm sitting by you, not shoving my hand down your pants."
"Got your hand on my thigh."
"I didn't realize putting my hand on your thigh equaled foreplay to you. I'll keep that in mind for next time."
He glanced warily at her and she rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes darting around to various controls and things inside the truck. He had this truck when she met him. He also had her in this truck a couple of times.
"What year is this truck?" she asked.
"'92."
"You ever think of getting a new one?"
"Nope."
"Why not?"
He spared her a glance that informed her he thought she was crazy. "Works just fine."
She shifted her butt, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with the way the buckle was digging into her hip.
"We should re-christen this truck eventually. It's been years since we've had sex in a vehicle."
He blushed and she smirked, lifting her hand up a little on his thigh. He stopped her in an instant, moving her hand down a ways.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded, clearly baffled.
"I'm trying to cheer you up," she retorted, smiling at him.
"Gonna wreck if you try an' cheer me up any more," he snorted. "Hands to yourself."
"Okay," she sighed dramatically. She was grateful to see some success in her efforts with the way he was smiling and more relaxed. She kissed his shoulder and unbuckled herself, ready to scoot back over to her place before he grabbed her hand with his.
"Didn't say you had to move."
"I won't be able to keep my hands to myself," she teased, arching an eyebrow at him. He shrugged, glancing her a challenging look.
"Honestly, I'm moving because the middle is damn uncomfortable," she admitted. "It's not you, believe me." She kissed his hand and moved back to her side.
"We're not going to be able to put the baby in here," she sighed. "I'm not sure what company policy is in regards to transporting kids in work transportation, so the Charger might not work. Last thing I want is spit up and baby poop in my new car," she moaned. It was a nice, new luxury car. A Chrysler 300c, which she'd gotten just before she found out she was pregnant.
"Not drivin' our boy around in some hopped up girly car," Jethro mumbled.
"Excuse me," she scoffed. "It's a hell of a lot nicer than this truck."
"Still girly."
"I guess you are going to need to buy a new car then, Jethro. Even though this one still 'works just fine'."
"Guess so," he responded childishly.
She rolled her eyes. He was a practical man and he didn't exactly throw money around, so she doubted he really wanted to buy a whole new car. But he was also stubborn, so she wouldn't actually be surprised if he did it just to prove a point.
He clenched his jaw as they got closer. In about ten minutes he'd be pulling up to his dad's store, and he really wasn't sure how he felt about all of this. He hadn't talked to the man in so long, and he didn't know where to start.
'Hey, dad, good to see you after all these years. By the way, this is Jenny, my boss who I impregnated. But don't worry, we were sleeping together when I was her boss too, so it's okay.'
He smirked. His old man would probably have a heart attack if he knew too many of the details. The fact they weren't married really added to the scandal of it all. The lifestyle he lived wasn't exactly what his dad would have approved of. He ran off to the Marines and then joined law enforcement, despite his dad's concerns. After Shannon he'd gotten married several times and been with numerous women. Both of his parents would have slapped him silly for living that way.
Hell, he wanted to slap himself silly. It wasn't like he exactly approved of it all either. He regretted a lot of his past decisions, and he honestly wished he and Jenny had gotten married before starting a family. Still, he didn't regret where he was at now. Maybe he'd made some dumb choices, but he wouldn't take Jenny or the baby back for the world. And if it weren't for the baby, they wouldn't have put aside their differences and gotten back together. It took a dumb decision to make way for the right one, apparently. And if that's what it took, he wasn't complaining. He glanced over to her, asleep in her seat, and he gave a small smile.
He winced as they drove into town. It had been so long. Everything was exactly the same, yet so incredibly different. There were places they passed by that were new to him, and others that no longer existed. The same lampposts lined the streets, and the green trees had gotten taller. The General Store popped into view and he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
He cleared his throat. "Hey, Jen."
"What?" she mumbled into the pillow she had between her head and the glass.
"We're here, wake up."
She let out a groan and pulled her head up, blinking as she looked around and woke up.
He pulled in front of the store and parked, suddenly thinking about turning around and heading home. It wasn't like his dad was expecting them or anything. He wouldn't ever know.
Jenny pulled down the sun visor and flipped open the mirror, giving herself a once-over. She pulled her purse out and pulled out her brush and some makeup, fixing up her hair and face. He shook his head as he watched her. Women. They were meeting his dad for crying out loud, not the President.
He was seriously torn sitting and waiting for her. It felt like she was taking ages, even though he knew it was just seconds. He couldn't decide between just dragging her in there right now and getting it over with, or just leaving while he could. Anxiety was pulsing inside of him. This town held so many memories of his mom, of Shannon, of taking Kelly here when she was young. It felt haunted and empty now. He could see the dress shop Shannon worked at across the street, it still looked the same. He could still remember her face on the other side of that glass.
He saw Shannon's beautiful face turn in the window, her red hair whipping around as she looked at him, smiling.
"Hey." He startled at her hand on his shoulder and looked at her. "You okay?"
He glanced back at the empty window across the street, and then back to Jenny. "Fine," he grumbled, making to open his door.
"It's going to be okay. You'll see."
He decided it was best not to argue, but he honestly didn't feel like she understood at all. He sighed and got out, making it to her door to help support her as she got out.
"So, this is your dad's store?" she asked, looking up at the sign.
"Mm-hm."
"Is his house close?"
He shrugged. "Not too far."
He felt her put her hand in his and then she smiled at him and ushered him forward. He realized he'd been stuck in place, just staring at the store. He swallowed, releasing her hand as he walked forward to grab the door handle. The same bell he'd heard a million times before rang as he opened the door for her. He scanned his eyes around the familiar store. Not much had changed since his days working here as a kid. Different products and more to choose from, but it was still the same store and the same feel. The Winchester rifle was still in its place. He just wasn't sure where his—
His dad popped out from behind a shelf, eyeing both of them, and then…smiled?
He was expecting shock, not a smile.
"I thought I heard someone park outside. I'm glad you both made it safe."
He opened his mouth, utterly confused, looking to Jenny who was beaming at the other man as he walked up to them. How did he…?
"You gonna keep standin' there with your mouth open, or are ya gonna introduce me properly to Jenny?"
He clenched his jaw. "Seems as if I don't need to introduce you," he muttered, glaring down at her. She looked back, giving him that annoying look she always gave him when she'd gone behind his back and was pretending to not feel guilty.
"Jackson Gibbs," the old man said, reaching out his hand to Jenny.
She took it and smiled. "Jennifer Shepard."
"Ah, so your full name is Jennifer."
"Yes, but I go by Jenny."
"Well, Jenny, it's nice to put such a beautiful face to the pretty name."
He glared at his dad, putting a protective hand against Jenny's back.
"Leroy," his dad acknowledged, giving him a smile and nodding at him.
"Jack."
Jenny stiffened slightly under his hand. There was an awkward silence as his dad and him just stared at each other.
"Well," Jackson finally said, looking back to Jenny, "It's good to have company. I prepared two rooms, but I'm assuming that one will be just fine?" He nodded towards her stomach, a twinkle in his eye.
Jenny blushed, putting a hand on her bump and looking up to Jethro. He was still silently glaring like some two year old.
"Yes, um, that was why we wanted to visit," she said. "Jethro and I are having a baby, a boy. It seemed like something you should hear in person, since you're the grandfather."
Jackson beamed. "Well, I certainly wasn't expectin' that. Glad to hear I'll get that chance again. Didn't think after—" the air shifted as Jackson stopped himself, and she could feel Jethro darken beside her. Jackson looked so sad. "Excitin' news. If he's anything like his father was, you're gonna have quite the kid on your hands."
"I don't doubt that," she laughed, feeling relieved about the easing of the tension.
"Gotta check on somethin'," Jethro muttered, abruptly heading to the door and walking out.
She bit her lip as his back disappeared. She knew this whole thing was stressful for him and she'd pressured him into it. She'd probably gone about some of this wrong. But in all honesty, it didn't really seem like there was a right way to navigate all the unexpected terrain they'd found themselves in the last few months.
"He's always been stubborn," Jackson commented.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault. I didn't ever tell him I'd called you beforehand. It threw him off."
"It's not your fault," he sighed sadly. "It's mine."
She looked to the older man, seeing that sadness in his eyes again. The regret in his voice was shattering. It was amazing to her just how much he looked like Gibbs. The white hair, the piercing blue eyes, some of his facial features. Jethro was taller and younger, and he must have gotten some of his looks and features from his mom too. She was curious what the woman had looked like. There was a kindness in Jackson's demeanor and eyes that Jethro had gotten. As well as the mischievous twinkle.
"So," Jackson piped up, "I'm gonna have to get to know you real well this weekend, Jenny. Seeing as you're the mother of my soon-to-be grandson. Hope you don't mind me pesterin' you with a lotta questions over the next few days."
"Ask away. I'll be doing the same with you, so it's fair game."
"I look forward to it," that mischievous twinkle present again. "Always fun talkin' to a beautiful woman. My son ain't one for talkin', so it'll be nice to have some conversation while he's here."
"It is hard to get much out of him sometimes." She looked out the window, seeing him slam the truck door and make his way back in. She noticed Jackson looking too, and he changed the subject right when Gibbs walked in and the bell rung.
"When is this grandson of mine making his appearance in the world?"
"In June," she replied, feeling Gibbs scan over her as if making sure she was still in one piece, before going back to his silent moping.
"Not too long from now. You know, I remember when Ann was pregnant with Leroy. She was glad to be done by the end, that was hard for her. But I'd never seen her happier than when she held him in her arms for the first time."
Jenny felt her heart tug. The thought of Jethro as a little baby, loved by his mother so much…
She glanced at him, seeing a lost look on his face. Her heart hurt for him. She could tell by the little he'd said about his mom that she had meant the world to him.
"Let's drive on over to the house. I can go on lunch and close up shop for a bit. I'm sure you two want to get settled in. You're probably tired."
"Ya wanna explain?" he said quietly as soon as they had pulled away from the curb.
"I called him a few days ago to let him know we were coming."
With that he had clenched his jaw and gripped the steering wheel tighter, and it had been all that was said in the short five minute drive to Jackson's house.
The house was a modest one, surrounded by a white picket fence. There were a lot of modest homes with little yards, trees, and fences all along the road. Despite being a small town, it was actually more populated than she thought, and this residential area reminded her a bit of where Jethro lived right now.
Despite the fact that he was mad at her, he was still insistent on helping her out of the truck and then not letting her carry anything but her purse inside. It honestly made her feel more annoyed. She was pregnant, not physically debilitated. While he had been gruff and glaring at her about taking any bags in, Jackson had more calmly smiled at her and insisted on carrying things. As she walked uselessly behind the two men carrying all the bags into the house, she once again realized just how similar yet how different they were at the same time.
As soon as they entered the house she took in everything. Old but nice furniture, dusty decorations and old photos in frames on the walls. It was comfortable. She wondered if any of the decorations had really changed since Jethro's mom had died. She had a feeling Jackson had pretty much kept everything the same since her death. Unlike Jethro, who had pretty much hidden any evidence of even having a family in his house years before. Granted, he had been married several times after, which would make things awkward.
Jackson led them down a hall and into a room on the right. Jackson looked at her, while Gibbs just avoided looking at either of them.
"This is the guest bedroom," Jackson explained. "Bathroom is across the hall. If you need some space from him, his old bedroom is next door. I'm at the end of the hall if you need anything during the night. Feel free to holler." He put the bags down on the floor. "I'm gonna go make some lunch. Settle in and make yourself at home."
"Thank you, Jackson," she said, smiling. "We really appreciate you letting us stay here."
"I appreciate the company." With that he gave her a wink, then cast a nervous glance at Jethro, who seemed to be busy pretending to memorize every detail of the room. She was trying to brush off how he was acting, because she knew she had ticked him off by going behind his back, and she knew this was hard for him. Still, he was starting to annoy her. Jackson closed the door behind him.
She looked around the guest room. It was obvious it was a guest room because it was definitely emptier and less personal than what she'd seen of the rest of the house on their way in. There were no photos or little decorations. Just a big and simple bed with a nice quilt, a nightstand and lamp, an empty closet, and a dresser.
He was still staring away. She got closer to him and he tensed, so she stayed put and crossed her arms. "Jethro, I'm sorry."
He still didn't say anything, so she went up to him anyway and put her hands on his shoulders, looking at him until he looked back. She put a hand on his cheek.
"I didn't mean to make you angry. I wanted to make sure he was even here before we showed up. Please talk to me."
He sighed. "It's just…" he broke off, shaking his head. "Just hard bein' back."
"Do you forgive me?"
He gave a little grunt, the corner of a lip quirking up in amusement.
"Good. I'd hate to have to sleep on your old bed. Teenage Jethro probably wasn't so kind to those sheets. Might still be crusty."
"Jen," he groaned in disgust.
"Do you think your magazines are still hidden under the bed? Maybe a sock or two?" she teased in a whisper.
He glared, but she could see the amusement in his eyes. She gave him a peck on the lips and then looked at her bags.
"I guess I should unpack."
"Live out of your bags, 's only four nights."
"That would involve constantly moving things and not remembering which bag has what. It'll take me longer in the end to find things if I don't unpack." She groaned, holding a hand to her back which was aching a bit. The bed was looking rather tempting to lay down on.
To be honest, she was mostly wondering how this weekend was going to go down. She'd done something she'd never done on a trip before—leave all of her work behind at home. The only thing that connected her was her phone and Cynthia's updates. No paperwork, no files. It was new territory to her, and she was realizing she didn't actually really know how to relax on a vacation. She wanted to get to know Jackson and try to see if Jethro could mend his bridges with him. She was a little worried the entire weekend would just be a lot of awkward silences and boredom. At least by doing this she wouldn't feel guilty about not knowing anything about Jethro's past or his family. It still amazed her how little she actually knew about him as a whole.
She looked over to Jethro, who was sitting on the bed and looking like he was also wondering what he was going to do all weekend. He didn't have his trusty boat to spend time with, nor any cases to run off to. He'd told his team he'd be on a fishing trip and he'd be unreachable. She gave it 24 hours before they pinged his phone and found out his true location. They were luckily used to ignoring her being gone since she went to a lot of other offices and conventions—but no one was used to the great team leader, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, going MIA for some random vacation. He was a known workaholic, and the only time he'd thrown everyone for a loop was when he 'retired'.
Jackson knocked on the door, startling them both out of their thoughts.
"Either of you want a sandwich? I've got all the supplies out, but I'm not sure what you want on yours."
"Thank you. We'll be right out," Jenny answered. She heard the man walk away from the door. Jethro fixed her with a stare.
"Anything else ya wanna tell me so I'm not surprised?"
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"You know, 'bout you an' my dad. Secret phone calls an' all that. If he's actually the father, better tell me now."
She gasped in outrage, smacking the defensive hands he had put up to protect himself while she tried to wipe the stupid grin off of his face.
He was fine with the silence. It was hard being in this home again. It was hard facing his dad after so many years of not talking. It was hard being surrounded by memories of his mom. He'd remember her illness and suicide, and he'd remember the fights he and his dad had for years after. Then there were the Shannon memories—meeting her, dating her, proposing, them getting married and bringing Kelly here. It was Shannon who had made sure to keep in touch with his dad and made sure Kelly was bonded to all of her grandparents.
The minute his girls died, everything fell apart. He had broken any remaining ties and started a new life.
And now, here he was, a different woman in his life who he loved, determined to make him keep in touch for the sake of their child. It was very familiar and déjà vu, despite this woman being so different from Shannon.
"So, you two work together."
Well, he should have known the silence wouldn't last long. At least he had enough sandwich left to keep chewing, since Jenny and his dad seemed to enjoy talking.
"Yes. I'm his boss, actually. I'm the Director of NCIS."
He did his best to keep looking down and chewing on his sandwich so as to avoid his dad's smirk.
"That so? I can see why they'd put you in charge. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. Is Leroy here a good worker?"
"He's the best agent I have. He's also the biggest pain in the ass that I work with."
His dad burst into laughter while Jenny chuckled beside him. He merely glared at the rest of the sandwich in his hand. Make no mistake, she was the biggest pain in his ass too.
"You wouldn't be the first woman to say that," Jackson mused. "You know, Shannon once—"
"Whatever happened to that woman you brought to the funeral?" he shot out suddenly, glaring at his dad.
There was silence as he and his dad stared each other down. He could feel Jenny's eyes on him.
"Harriet moved. Not long after that, actually. Needed to be closer to her kids. It was a shame, I liked her. But we do what we can for family."
He opened his mouth, ready to spit out a nasty comeback when Jenny put her hand in his and talked first. "Yes, yes we do," she said, squeezing his hand. He looked at her, and the pleading look she gave him made him take an internal breath. He didn't want to drag her in this, and he didn't exactly want her to see this side of him either.
"You both need to tell me about your jobs, that investigator stuff you do. We haven't talked since you started it."
"Me and my team do all the work." He then jabbed his thumb towards her. "She sits in her office all day and plays politics."
She scoffed in playful outrage making him and his dad laugh. It was the first time they'd so much as smiled in the same room in 18 years.
"So, this is where young Leroy Jethro would hide away from the world."
She looked around his room, smirking at the remnants of his childhood. Jackson had gone back to work, so she'd dragged him around the house making him show her his old home.
"Is this the same as when you left?"
"Pretty much," he responded, hovering by the door. He clearly wasn't as interested in his past as she was.
"So, you weren't the kind of kid with half naked women on your wall, huh?" she commented, looking at the poster of a classic Dodge Challenger on his wall. There was also a small canvas painting hung up. It depicted a lake with a simple fishing boat in it. It was an amateur painting, but it was pretty. Then she caught the small J. Gibbs scribbled in the corner.
"Wait, did you make this?" She turned around to look at him.
He shrugged. "Did art in high school."
"You never told me you could paint! All that time in Europe I spent dragging you around art museums, and not once did you tell me you actually liked art. You just complained."
"It was a hobby when I was a teen, Jen."
"It's like I don't even know you at all," she mocked dramatically. "So, you went from painting boats to building them. When did your love of boats begin?"
He sighed and walked to her, putting his hand on her back. "When my mom found out she was sick, my dad made a little boat with me, for her. About this big," he gestured with his hands. "Called it The Chickadee…that was dad's nickname for mom."
She hesitated, surprised he answered and not sure if her asking more would make him uncomfortable and close up his defenses again. "So it was your mom who liked boats?"
He gave a grunt of acknowledgment. "Water never forgets," he quoted, hearing her voice in his head as he did. "Anyone with a boat named after them will live forever. That's what mom said."
She was silent, stunned by the emotional revelation. The puzzle pieces snapped together, his strange love for boats was suddenly clear. Now she felt bad for teasing him about them all these years. It explained the care he put into making each boat, and why he named them the way he did.
"We sailed that little boat on this lake," he said hoarsely, pointing to the painting.
"You painted this in memory of your mom."
"Yeah."
"It's beautiful."
They both just stared at the painting, her trying to be calm and not let the meaningful sadness overtake her. She swiped her thumb across her eye discreetly and then turned to look at him.
"Is this lake nearby?"
He turned his head to look down at her. "'Bout a two mile walk from here."
"You want to take me on a romantic walking date?"
"Don't know, this is the first time I've gotten a girl in my room. Not sure I want you to leave quite yet."
"Wow, the first time, huh?" She looked around the room and then at the bed. "So your dad leaves and then you lure a girl in here? Guess you're a bad boy after all." He put his arms around her, grabbing her butt with both hands. "Unfortunately for you, I'm a good girl. I don't get into just any boys bed."
"Mm. That right?"
She smiled as he pushed her back and onto the bed, crawling on top of her and maneuvering against the bump to not crush her while he kissed her.
"Wow, you don't even try to cop a feel, you just go straight to the bed part? Be a gentleman and try to at least grab my boob first." He laughed against her neck.
She pushed him off when they'd made out like teenagers long enough, insisting he take her to the lake. There was no way in hell she would chance his dad coming back unexpectedly and walking in on them tangled on Jethro's old and tiny twin bed.
Jackson glanced from his place in the kitchen to the pair in the living room. His son was happy. It was soothing after all these years of bitterness to see that Leroy had found someone to heal him again. He could see the love between the two of them, it was evident in their eyes and the way they calmed in the others presence.
He wouldn't deny that it bothered him that they were not married and having a child out of wedlock. In his mind, his son needed to marry her and make it right. But he knew bringing that up would only cause trouble. He knew it couldn't be long before they were married. They clearly wanted to be together for the long haul, and having a child would certainly make a huge difference in their commitment.
He hoped his son could finally settle down again. He knew what it was like to not have a partner in your life who you loved. It got awful lonely sometimes. He often wished he had tried harder with a couple of the women he had met after Ann.
He heard a laugh and glanced up at them again, seeing them cuddled close as they watched the old movie that was on. Leroy kissed Jenny's cheek and she gave him a look that almost made Jackson uncomfortable. He shook his head. It was his house, yet he couldn't help but feel like the intruder right now. If there hadn't been major evidence to the contrary, he'd think they were still in that phase of new love where they hadn't done much more than cuddle and kiss. Times had certainly changed with these younger generations.
Even if his son and him weren't in a good place, it was just good to see his son happy with Jenny.
Jackson seasoned the popcorn he'd made and brought the giant bowl into the living room, handing it to Jenny and sitting on the armchair next to where she was on the couch.
"I'm starting to think both of you chose this one because the female is a redhead," Jenny commented.
They were watching one of the old Sean Connery James Bond movies, Diamonds are Forever.
"What do ya mean?" Jackson questioned, grabbing a handful of popcorn.
"We all know Jethro has a thing for redheads. And I saw from a couple of your pictures that Ann was a redhead too."
"She wasn't a red redhead, ya know? She was auburn."
"It's still among the red spectrum. She is part of my club."
"Sounds like a club I gotta sneak my way into. Lotta pretty women," he laughed.
"Did you date other redheads?"
"Oh, a few," he mused. He returned her smile with a wink, catching a dark glare from Leroy. He knew his son hadn't approved of the way he'd moved on. That disapproval from his one and only child had cost him a few possible relationships.
"Like father like son," Jenny mused.
She tried to be the calm presence between the two men during the movie. She cracked jokes and tried to keep the mood light. She'd sigh about Sean Connery's looks but then reprimand Jethro for looking anytime the redheaded Tiffany Case popped up on the screen. She felt like she was trying to be the glue in between them figuratively, but literally she really was the one sitting between them and keeping them all in the same room.
Jethro was acting like a literal teenager with Jackson, and while she had her own experiences with an immature Jethro, this went beyond that. She wasn't used to him being this ridiculous. He'd go from acting like himself to acting like a moody 15 year old in seconds. In a way it made sense, he was probably just reverting back to the way he was used to acting with his dad. He was still young when he'd up and left and joined the Marines. And it seemed they hadn't gotten along for years before that. Jackson had his own moments of seeming more immature with Jethro too. The way a man in his 50s and a man in his 70s could suddenly revert to acting like enemy teenagers in high school…goodness.
It was honestly exhausting. She was realizing her whole idea of coming here and having them heal and bond again was ridiculous. There were clearly some old wounds that were maybe too hard for them to get over. They needed time, and they needed time alone together to figure it out all. They probably just needed to duke it out, and her presence was going to hinder that. She maybe needed to leave at some point and give them space to just talk and get it all out. On the other hand, she was a little worried it would be more like a match to the death and she'd come back to a body. She almost felt like she needed to be there to keep them somewhat mature.
She wondered if they locked horns this much before Ann Gibbs died, or if it was just a result of her death. In her own case, her mother had left, and it had bonded her and her father to an almost inseparable degree. To her, Jethro was lucky to have a dad who was alive. Jethro's bond with his mom seemed to have been like her bond with her dad. So it would have been like if her dad had died and she was left with her mom…in which case, heads would have rolled. Poor Jethro.
The next morning she'd woken up to him kissing her. She'd greeted him back, happy to see him starting off the day in a good mood. Right as things had gotten heated, as if on cue his dad knocked on the door and informed them that breakfast was ready. She had to stifle a laugh against Jethro, who got much more moody when he realized they wouldn't be able to continue the activities his body was revved up for.
He should just be glad they weren't dealing with her dad. That man would have made them sleep in separate rooms even though she was pregnant, and he would definitely do his best to interrupt any alone time. He would have been tough on her significant other and kept him on his feet. If Jethro thought his dad was hard to deal with, the Colonel would have given him a run for his money. It would be boot camp under the Colonel.
She was a little amused when both of them took up the same pose at breakfast, sipping on coffee and reading different parts of the paper with their reading glasses on. She'd been handed the comic strip section, which made her feel like an incapable little kid with her dad again. Men.
"Figure I'll close shop a little early today," Jackson said as they ate. "Figure we can do something, it bein' Saturday night an' all."
"Do what?" Jethro muttered while he chewed his bacon.
Jenny fixed him with a stare. She was honestly surprised he survived his growing up years. If she were Jackson…
"It sounds great," she responded, looking at Jackson. "What do you like to do?"
"Normally I mess around in the garage and work on things, or just turn on the TV."
Yet another thing Jethro had gotten from his father, she noted.
"With you guys here, might as well mix it up. We could play cards. Watch another movie. Go out to eat. Maybe to the lake."
Jethro was just silent, and she honestly wished he would contribute something. She mulled over the options.
"I got an idea, we could go fishin' on the lake. Been a long time since we've been fishin', Leroy."
She did note that this option actually seemed to catch Jethro's interest. He did like to fish. She could tell the idea of fishing with his dad made him wary though. He really needed to be more willing to be uncomfortable and open with emotions.
"Fishing sounds perfect. Jethro likes to fish. I'm sure he must have learned to fish from you."
"More like I sat and watched. He was too busy talkin' and losin' all the fish," Jethro teased. It relieved her to see him actually interact.
"Hey, I still caught the most" Jackson defended. "John and LJ on the other hand, that was a different story."
"That cheap beer you all drank probably didn't help."
She watched almost stunned, realizing that for the first time since she'd been here, Jethro was actually engaging and they were having a normal conversation. They were reminiscing. She half listened to the fishing story they got into, realizing she knew nothing about fishing and nothing about these other men.
"Do you like fishin', Jenny?" Jackson asked.
"Oh, um, I wouldn't know. I've never been."
"You've never gone fishin', Jen?" Jethro demanded, looking at her like she was a stranger. "Not even when you were a kid?"
"No," she snapped back at him. "My father was more of a football and hunting kind of guy. Fishing was too tedious and slow for him."
She saw the slight sadness in Jackson's eyes. He'd asked about her parents the other night, and she'd explained that they weren't around. He'd been very gentle and understanding.
"Well, we'll have to fix that today," Jackson said.
She smiled. She was already planning to ditch it last minute and force them to go together. It was the perfect opportunity for them to be alone and talk, especially since it was a chill activity they both enjoyed. They weren't ever going to solve anything with her being a way to distract them.
"You know, we could leave earlier if you'd be willin' to help out at the store a bit, Leroy. Cal, the boy who helps me out, is real busy with school. Got a small truck with some supplies waitin' today, an' it's hard to do it by myself. You were always good at it."
Jethro looked to her, clearly seeing what she wanted. "I've never helped in a store," she commented.
He gave a nod of agreement to his dad.
When they got to the store Jackson went over some things with Jethro. She was a little more busy feeling useless and completely out of her element. Neither of them would let her help unload anything, apparently they thought she and the baby would die if she lifted more than one can or bag.
There were only a number of boxes and a couple pallets that Jethro wheeled on in. He and Jackson then organized it all. It was an interesting process to her. It would be more interesting if they let her do something helpful.
At long last, Jethro finally let her do something. "This is the price marker," he explained, holding up an ancient looking metal tool. So, his dad was just like him in terms of using ridiculously old equipment for things. Vintage.
"So you change the price like this. Then you just do this," he stamped down with it on a can and it was marked with the price. "Here," he handed it to her. "Do all these."
She stamped down on the next can, intrigued. "I don't know, this seems complicated," she deadpanned.
He gave her a look, believing her for a split second before he realized she was joking and shook his head. "Must be, you're sure takin' your time."
She glared, pressing down on a few more cans. She realized it was a little more complicated than it looked in a way. It was just a bit awkward to hold steadily, and she felt like she didn't get the price as centered on the can as she wanted. She felt a little annoyed by him hovering too. As soon as she got the twelve cans marked, he picked them up in the cardboard container and went to put them away.
Her phone beeped and she pulled it out, looking at the text from Cynthia. She put the marker down and started to text back. Jethro came back, taking the price marker from the table. She realized suddenly why he thought she was slow when she heard him start marking. She glanced at what he was doing, seeing his hand move at lightning speed. He whisked the goods away the next second. She felt like she was his probie again.
She wandered over to Jackson who was putting away some jerky by the cash register. "So this picture," she asked, gesturing to the one of him and another man. "Is this one of the friends you fished with?"
"Yeah, that's LJ. Leroy Jethro, my son's namesake. He was my partner when I opened this place. That was him and me at the grand openin'."
She was taken aback by the name revelation. So that was why her man had such a weird name.
"What happened to him?"
Jackson looked pained, and she realized it must be a sore topic. "Things change, people move on," he grumbled. He apparently was just as evasive as Jethro when it came to certain topics.
"You gonna keep talkin', or you gonna help me with these?" Jethro piped up, glaring at her.
"As if you really need my help," she scoffed. "I'm just in your way. I may as well spend my time doing something useful, like finding out about your childhood."
He grumbled, carrying the next load away to put on the shelf.
"That's a nice rifle," she remarked.
"Yup, the Winchester. 1873."
"Is this where Jethro got his fascination with guns?"
"No one was ever allowed to touch that Winchester," Jethro remarked behind a shelf.
"Let that be a lesson in parenting for you," Jackson stated, looking at her stomach. "Tell a kid he can't have a rifle and he grows up to be a sniper."
She chuckled, but then she realized she hadn't even started on the parenting path yet. She was honestly still dreading the idea of even being a parent. Jethro was marking cans mercilessly again in the background.
"If he's anything like his father, I'll need all the tips I can get," she threw over her shoulder.
He stopped his marking and glared at her. "If he's anything like you—"
"Then you'll be the luckiest man alive, Leroy."
Jethro glared at his dad for cutting in, but then he fixed Jenny with his gaze, looking her up and down. His face softened. "Already am."
The quiet statement had her smiling at him, feeling like an ass for making fun of him. She decided to keep the tension light for Jackson's sake and not get mushy and make him uncomfortable.
"He's just trying to get me to give him a raise at work," she teased, smiling at Jethro with a wink.
He sat in the boat quietly with his dad. He was frustrated that Jenny hadn't ended up going. She insisted she was "tired" and used the pregnancy as an excuse. He had a feeling she was more just trying to force him to spend time with his dad and maybe talk.
"When was the last time ya did some good fishin', Leroy?"
"Five or six months ago."
"Somewhere local?"
"Mexico. I was there for a few months."
"Mexico? That's a long ways off. Was Jenny with you?"
"No."
There was a long silence. He knew his dad was probably curious, but there was no way he was going to explain it all to his dad. The pregnancy hadn't exactly started on the right foot. They fished for another good fifteen minutes, lost in their own thoughts before his dad piped up again.
"Been a long time since I've seen ya. The funeral."
He clenched his rod a little tighter.
"I adored that wife of yours. And I adored that child, too."
"Bigger fish in Mexico. Better fishin'," he commented, trying to change the subject back to something easier.
"Leroy, what did I do at the funeral?"
"You mean, other than showing up with a date?" he snapped.
Jackson sighed, putting his rod down and shifting in the boat to look at Jethro.
"I always thought that your mom an' I had a love story for the ages. I never regretted giving up the skies, workin' underground every day in the mines. I wanted to give you that white, picket-fence dream."
"And you did." His dad had accomplished that. He wasn't going to deny that he had a good childhood. He had everything he needed.
"But you see…things did not work out between your mom and me. Even before she was sick…things could be hard. Made it harder when she did get sick. We'd fight. We'd get angry. We wouldn't talk. I should've been a better husband. Better father too. I regret some of those choices. I loved your mom, even if we didn't always see eye-to-eye."
Jethro just listened quietly, taking it all in. He did remember some of the times where they'd argued. Especially when she'd gotten sick. That had made things very tense at home.
"When she died, I know how mad that made you," Jackson sighed. "I know how you hated me for gettin' on with my life. I saw the look in your face. How you wanted vengeance. That look went away when you met Shannon, but it came back quick after they died. I knew what that meant. You were gonna find someone to take it out on. Didn't matter what I said."
"It never did," Jethro finally responded quietly. He knew it was a low blow. Jackson gave a sad sigh and they both just stared at each other. "What do you see now?"
"You're happy again."
He furrowed his eyebrows, surprised by the answer.
"Jenny makes you light up. The way you look at her, you must really love her."
He nodded, knowing he couldn't dispute that claim. "Yeah."
"You may not like me, Leroy. An' I'm sorry I hurt you. But I'm glad you came. I was worried I'd never see you again. That was a painful thought to live with."
He looked at the watery shine in his dad's eyes, finally feeling some of that bitterness he'd been holding onto dissipate.
"After your mom died…I never got the chance to settle down and be happy with a woman again. Nothing right ever came along, and it gets real lonely. I'm glad you could move on, son. I don't want you to end up like me."
He clenched his rod tighter, realizing with a pang of guilt how much of a hypocrite he'd been. He'd been so mad at his dad for moving on this whole time after his mom died, but he had managed to move on after Shannon. He hadn't made it easy for his dad during the rest of his growing up years either. Perhaps he was the reason his dad hadn't gotten to settle down back then. Now, here he was, a woman he loved and a baby on the way—while his dad had been single and alone for decades.
He had let his dad be alone all this time.
"I shouldn't have been so hard on you," he finally said, looking at his dad. "You deserved better from me. I know you did the best you could."
"You deserved better from me too."
They sat in silence for a while again, looking at the water.
"We forgot to bring the cheap beer," Jackson finally said. Both of them laughed, the serious tension easing away and allowing them to delve into old stories.
It was dark by the time they'd gotten back. She was glad to hear them walk in, and even more glad to hear them laughing. Apparently they hadn't killed each other.
She looked up from her book as they entered the living room. "How was the fishing?"
"The fish weren't bitin' as much as they should've," Jackson said, pulling off his coat.
"Oh?"
"Probably would've gotten more if you'd come along. Pretty sight like you would attract all of 'em."
Jackson launched into the story of Jethro nearly tipping them over in their little boat today. She was glad to see the smile on Jethro's face, and him defending himself. Clearly they had a good time, and clearly they had managed to talk through some things.
"This wise guy forgot to bring the beer too," Jackson said, shoving his thumb in Jethro's direction.
"Hey, it's your beer."
She shook her head as they continued on, clearly trying to entertain the only woman in their manly midst. Like hunters returning with the fruits of their labor. Apparently the fruits of their labor were released back in the lake though. Their laughing eased away and they both settled down. Jackson groaned as he sank into his armchair, while Jethro plopped down next to her.
She wrinkled her nose as he wrapped an arm around her, closing her eyes in disgust and turning her nose away from him. "Jethro, you reek."
He turned his head and lifted his shoulder up a little, sniffing himself. "Not that bad."
"No, bad." She scooted away from him to the end of the couch, escaping his arm. The smell of fish and moss was too strong for her. She was practically a bloodhound with her hormones.
He glared. "Jen, c'mon."
"If you intend to sit next to me or get into bed with me tonight, you need to take a shower."
He glared harder and she glared even harder back. It was when she decided to dramatically pinch her nose and breathe through her mouth that he relented, giving her a dirty look as he stood up and headed out the living room. When the bedroom door shut she breathed in deeply again, sighing in content, She looked at Jackson who was smirking at her.
"You're really good with him," he commented. "Never seen him listen' to anyone so well before."
"He never listens to me," she laughed. "He's a pain at work."
"I'm serious."
She shook her head, not accepting it, looking up at Jackson's fireplace mantle where a picture of Jethro, Shannon, and Kelly was framed. "I'm hard on him. I'm no Shannon."
The bedroom door opened, silencing them as they listened to Jethro make his way into the bathroom and then shut that door. The shower turned on and Jackson cleared his throat.
"Shannon," he sighed, giving a sad glance to the picture. "She was good for him. She helped him out of that anger he was holding onto. She was soft and gentle, and their little Kelly was too. She was no match for his stubbornness, though."
"I feel like I can't compare. Like he'll never love me as much as he loved her."
"Quit comparin' then," Jackson said simply.
"You make it sound so easy."
"You bring out a healthy side in him I haven't seen in years. Shannon and Kelly were the loves of his life back then, and that's never gonna change. But that was then, and this is now. He needed someone soft like Shannon as a young man. Now he's a different man. He went to war, then he lost his girls. Those things change a person more than anything. Soft isn't gonna cut it now. I know from my own experiences with war. He needs stability now, understanding. Someone who gets the hardships of life."
They sat in silence as the words sunk in, both thinking of Jethro.
"If we're being honest, Shannon wouldn't be able to cope with him the way he is now," Jackson sighed. "He's even more hard-headed and stubborn. He needs someone who can ground him, who doesn't let him push them around. I see that in you. And the way my boy looks at you, you are the only thing he wants in this world. You and that baby."
She bit her lip, resting her hand on her stomach. "That's what worries me. It's a lot of pressure. We don't have a good history. We were in a relationship years ago, before he married Stephanie…"
"Which one was that?" Jackson questioned. She thought he was joking until she looked at his face, and then she had to laugh.
"She was the last woman he was married to. His fourth wife."
Jackson shook his head. "I never met any of 'em after Shannon. Wouldn't have known about the first one if it weren't for Shannon's mom tellin' me. Sorry, I interrupted. Go on."
"The confusion is understandable, he really got around," she snorted. Jackson nodded, looking grim. She knew his generation looked down on divorce and that many marriages. Hell, even these days more than two was excessive. Her father certainly wouldn't have approved.
"Things didn't work out between us, back then. I left him, I chose my career instead. I hurt him. Then I came back years later and I still said no. If it weren't for this baby, I don't think we would have ever gotten back together. We'd just be bitter."
Jackson gave a nod and thought about it for a second. Hopefully he wasn't dwelling on the fact that she and Jethro had made a baby without being together…it was probably bad enough to him that they'd done so without being married.
"Sometimes things take time," he said. "The more work you put into somethin', the more you cherish it. It's about commitment and effort, not all this nonsense about love and things just workin' out. If you go into these things without thought and real intent, things don't end well. Believe me, I know." The shower turned off and Jackson glanced down the hall and then looked back at her. She barely stopped herself from asking about Ann. "Sweetheart, he loves you, an' I can tell he wants to do right by you. I haven't seen him this happy in the longest time. It's not just the way he looks at you, it's what he's willin' to do for you—"
The bathroom door opened and they both went quiet, listening to Jethro make his way back to the bedroom and close that door.
"I never met any of his last wives, and I didn't think I'd ever see him again," Jackson whispered. "I want you to keep that in mind. It means more than you probably realize. You mean a lot to him."
She swallowed, trying to smile at Jackson. It almost terrified her how serious he was and what he was saying. She had figured out by now that she and Jethro were probably in this for the long haul, but it still unnerved her to think of the consequences if anything happened. It was bad enough when she'd left last time, but they'd both managed to mostly move on. She knew neither of them would escape this time without some severe damage. She wanted things to work, but she was also unsettled that she might lose herself along the way.
The bedroom door opened and she whispered thank you to Jackson, who winked at her as she smiled.
"There. I'm clean," Jethro muttered, padding over to her in his red hoodie and gray sweatpants. He sat down pointedly next to her and gave her a victorious look as he crowded her space and smushed up against her side.
She smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Well, that means I'm up next," Jackson said, easing himself up from the armchair. "Don't wanna offend Jenny with my fish smell either." He almost made it out the room before he turned and looked at Jethro. "Ya know, I used to have to wait a half hour after you took showers to get hot water again. Guess you grew up a lot since you last stayed here. Not a vain teen obsessed with impressin' the girls anymore."
"Yeah, well you got old," Jethro countered.
"Hey now, your hair's about the same color as mine," Jackson shot back, making his way into the hall with a chuckle.
Jenny looked at him after his father disappeared, smirking. "Hm, teenage Jethro took really long showers, huh?"
"Don't start," he groaned, the back of his head hitting the couch.
"Guess you were just getting yourself prepared to last with the likes of me."
"I've said it before, Jen. You're the one who can't pace yourself. Didn't need to prepare for you."
She scoffed, almost offended. "I recall making you show your ability to last several times right after the first time."
"You challengin' me to show you right now?" He quirked a mischievous eyebrow at her.
"Nope. Not until your dad is asleep."
"Ya better change the subject then."
She kissed his cheek and let her head fall to his shoulder. She thought about what his dad had said to her, and then it occurred what he'd said right before he left.
"Wait, what did your dad mean when he said 'you grew up a lot since you last stayed here'? I thought you came here with Shannon and…and Kelly." She still felt awkward bringing his dead family up with him, and she never knew if she was going to hit a wrong nerve.
"We'd visit, but we'd stay with Shannon's parents. Hated it."
"Why?"
"Joanne hated me. Hated Shannon for settling with me, hated my job, hated me for movin' them away with me. I was usually deployed when Shannon chose to visit, she knew it was better for me and Joanne to not be around each other, me an' my dad too. It was better for everyone to relax, for Kelly to have fun."
Jethro felt tense against her, it was amazing how these things could still affect people years later. She felt bad that he had to deal with that, and then felt even more bad for the fact that she felt relieved that they didn't have in-law issues. The reason they didn't have those issues was because everyone but Jackson was dead. It shouldn't relieve her.
"So she was an uptight kind of woman."
"Yeah. They were well off, compared to most people around here. Bigger house, bigger expectations. I didn't exactly fit in. They wanted their daughter to do better."
"Then they didn't realize that she got the best there was," Jenny snapped, feeling defensive for him. "But Shannon sure as hell knew, and that's what matters."
He stared down at her and she looked back, not sure what he was thinking or if she'd overstepped.
"Jen?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you." He pressed his lips down against hers and she felt one of his hands glide to her baby bump and rest there.
She moved a hand to his neck as she kissed him, taking advantage of what he'd said. Those words certainly had not been freely thrown around since he'd said them to her for the first time a couple weeks ago.
"Don't mind me, just had to get a glass of water."
They separated, Jenny laughing into Jethro's shoulder as he sighed. "Dad, I thought you were gonna take a shower?"
"I am soon. Had to get in my bathrobe, then I felt thirsty."
She glanced as the man made his way into the kitchen, taking in the bit of old hairy man legs she could see and his cute fuzzy blue slippers. She had to stifle another laugh into Jethro's shoulder. She was imagining him donning a pair of slippers like that someday.
She was going to scoot away from Jethro an appropriate distance by the time Jackson passed through again, but Jehtro had snaked an arm around her and prevented her from moving. Jackson came through again, giving them an amused smirk as he passed.
"I'll probably be back in another thirty minutes or so, just so ya know."
"We won't get too carried away then," she quipped back. Jackson chuckled while Jethro blushed and glared at her.
"This raises a good question I've never asked," she said as soon as Jackson disappeared, "how many times have you been walked in on in your life?"
He sighed in defeat, melting into the couch as he picked up a pillow and pressed it against his face.
Jenny blinked at the table in the morning, bleary eyed and tired. Perhaps the exhaustion was because after Jackson's shower the other night, they stayed up late playing cards, and then when they went to bed Jethro had the audacity to flirt and get her to have sex with him. Perhaps she had been a willing candidate, and perhaps it was more than enjoyable, but she still blamed him for keeping her up. It had been a strong reminder of what it had been like when they lived with Ducky in Europe—trying to stay quiet, holding in the moans and lessen the creaks of the bed. It would result in a little more work and fits of giggles, but something about trying to be quiet and sneaky did heighten the experience.
Jackson wasn't working today or tomorrow since it was the weekend. The morning had been spent with the Gibbs men thoroughly reading the paper and drinking their coffee, while she observed again just how freaky alike they were with their reading glasses and stances and quiet nature. She was grateful they were on good terms. The quiet between them wasn't tense anymore, they were just being themselves. Sure, Jethro still had his teenage moments, or he and his dad would still get into tiny arguments over stupid things like card game rules—but it wasn't the same unbearable tenseness that had been present before. Now they could grunt at each other in a passive way as opposed to an aggressive one.
As soon as they all got up Jackson motioned for them to follow him. "Gotta show you somethin' in the shop."
"I'm not gonna finish whatever project you got goin' on for ya," Jethro muttered.
"It's not that," Jackson snapped. "Quit whinin'."
They all put their jackets and shoes on, wandering out to the big shop by the house. Jethro opened the door for them and Jenny's eyes widened as she walked in.
Jethro stopped dead as he turned to see the bright yellow car in the middle of the garage, his jaw dropping open. Was that…? He thought his dad had gotten rid of it…
"426 Hemi. R/T suspension package, just the way you wanted it," Jackson announced, walking up to it. "Right down to the color."
Jethro couldn't help but beam, admiring the way the Challenger looked. It was perfect. It was exactly what he had wanted, what he had imagined for so many years growing up. He walked up to it, his hand hovering above it, not quite daring to touch it. He couldn't believe his dad had restored it.
"Wanna take it for a spin?" Jackson asked, dangling a set of keys in front of Jethro. "May as well enjoy the beauty of this Saturday mornin'."
Jethro looked like a kid on Christmas and it made Jenny happy. He had so much wonder in his eyes. She was pretty sure he hadn't even been this happy about any of the baby stuff. Clearly this was something that meant a lot to him.
He took the keys, his face lighting up. "You sure?"
"Yeah, let's get goin'."
Jethro stopped, looking at Jenny.
"Jen?"
She was taken aback that he was asking her for permission. It wasn't like she was his Director at work right now. "A drive sounds perfect."
His face somehow lit up even more, as if he were a teenage boy who finally got to second base.
They'd gone to a diner Saturday night for dinner, and it was revealed then that Jethro's mom Ann had worked at the same diner years before. It was amazing how more and more things just opened up reasons why Jethro functioned the way he did, and she wondered if he was even aware of it. The boats, the red hair, going to the same reliable diner for everything. His mom had left deep imprints. Much like how her dad passing had gotten her to end up in a division of the military herself and get tangled with a Marine, which her father had never wanted for her. It couldn't be denied that parents really do shape who you become, whether you realize it or not.
By the time Monday morning had rolled around, Jenny was more than ready to get back to work. She was glad to meet Jackson and for Jethro to mend those bridges. But after several days of sitting around reading, watching things, playing cards, eating and doing nothing, she really needed to be back to productivity. Jackson and Jethro had both spent the majority of Saturday and Sunday in the shop, doing who knows what. Jethro must have ended up helping Jackson start some project, because they had taken a trip together Saturday afternoon to "buy supplies". She supposed they had just been doing manly things, bonding and grunting and arguing over wood and cars or something. Maybe Jethro had introduced Jackson to the art of building an entire boat in an enclosed space.
She had spent too much time relaxing, and she was sick to death of it. She had gotten to learn so much more about Jethro and his past though. Jackson had told her so many stories, many of which made Jethro blush. She'd gotten to look at and coo over the few baby and childhood pictures Jackson had of Jethro, and he'd kindly let her take some of them. She found out more about his mom, his early traumas, and where many of his personality quirks and habits had come from. Jethro made so much more sense to her as a person now, and she didn't just feel like his unknowing bed partner who was having his kid anymore. She understood him better, felt closer to him.
She could tell he was itching to go back to work too. She knew it hadn't been an easy trip on him, but she could also tell he was lighter and happier. Jethro loaded their bags into the truck while she and Jackson talked on the couch.
Despite the fact that both of them wanted to go home, she also felt bad leaving. Jackson was old and lonely, and he was such a warm and funny person. He also had so many stories to tell and so much wisdom. He even shared her love for travel, having had adventures all over. Her favorite story was when he'd gone to Nepal for his 60th birthday, climbing 13,000 feet of Mount Everest. He'd passed out attempting to smoke a victory cigar and woke up to a sherpa giving him mouth-to-mouth. She realized he would have been a much more enthusiastic travel partner than Jethro had been in Europe. The man was such a good soul, she felt like she was leaving a man behind on an op.
"Think the only reason he passed that class was because he had a crush on Ms. Thompson."
Jenny laughed at the story, interrupted by Jethro's growled "did not" as he walked in.
"Was she a redhead too?" she asked.
"No, she was blonde, looked like Marilyn Monroe," Jackson mused. "Real pretty woman."
"Those blondes can really get to him sometimes too," she quipped, admiring the red in Jethro's cheeks.
"Dad, didn't you have somethin' ya wanted to show Jen?"
"That's right, thanks for remindin' me. Let me go get it."
They watched Jackson leave and then Jethro turned to her.
"You're not allowed to talk to my team after this. You know too much."
"It's in my job description to know everything about you. Not only as your Director, but as your sex partner and baby incubator too."
"Baby incubator, Jen?"
"Yes."
"Romantic."
"I aim to please. It's how the baby got here, you know."
"You started it," he scoffed.
"Hardly. All I did was say goodbye, and then you threw me down and had your way with me."
"More like you threw yourself at me."
"You took advantage of me. You knew I'd give you anything you wanted since you were leaving and I had missed you."
His lip quirked up in his signature smile, relenting and leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I missed ya too," he whispered.
They heard Jackson walking back in and he offered her his hands and helped her stand up out of the chair. Jackson walked in with a box, passing it over to Jethro.
"We made this for you, Jenny," Jackson said as Jethro handed the box to her.
She took it, her eyes widening at the sight of a little wooden boat with sails.
"It's pretty rough work and it's small, we didn't have much time."
She picked it up gently with her hand, admiring the creation. She turned it, seeing "Jenny" painted in tiny letters on the back. She remembered what Jethro had said about his mom and the boat they made her. About how anyone with a boat named after them lived forever. The name was clouded by her eyes and she blinked, clearing her vision as she held her free hand to her heart.
"This is so sweet," she said quietly. "It's beautiful. I love it."
"Well, you're part of the family now," Jackson said, sounding uncomfortable. He was probably like Jethro and didn't do so well with a woman's tears. "You can come visit with that little one whenever you like."
She placed the boat back in the box and put it down on the couch, reaching out and hugging Jackson as close as she could with the bump between them.
"Thanks for bringing my son back," he whispered. She squeezed a little tighter in response.
She broke away, giving him a watery smile as she wiped her eyes.
"Leroy, I was hopin' you'd take this with you too." Jackson held out a leather key case, the key dangling out. The key to the Challenger.
Jethro took it carefully, looking at it and then looking up at his dad in surprise.
"It's just cluttering up the garage," Jackson explained.
Jethro looked back down at the key hesitantly and then he looked over to her. She gave him a smile, touched by the gesture of Jackson and happy for Jethro. She was surprised when he looked back down at the leather case and handed it back to his dad. Jackson seemed just as surprised.
"How 'bout I come back for it when I visit again. If you don't mind keepin' it safe a little bit longer."
Jackson looked up at his son, and she could see the emotion in his face. "When you visit again, huh?"
"Yeah." Jethro gave a serious nod.
The two men looked at each other for a bit silently, before Jackson smiled. "Guess I just gotta keep hangin' onto your junk."
"Drive around town in it," Jethro responded. "Good way to pick up women. Get yourself a date."
They just looked at each other with a smile, and then Jackson nodded in agreement and looked down with a sigh. It was time to say goodbye, they all knew it and it was creating an awkward tension in the air.
"Well…" Jackson said, "I know you hate it when I use a hundred words when a couple will do. But keep in touch, visit soon."
"It's the least I could do," Jethro agreed. They stared again and nodded, the emotion heightening.
"Goodbye, son."
Jethro gave a small smile and reached out, pulling his dad into a bear hug. "Bye dad," he whispered.
She couldn't help the tears that fell on her face as she watched the intimate hug. It lasted longer than she expected, and the room felt so emotional. Jackson was wiping away his own tears when they parted, and Jethro's eyes couldn't hide the shine in them either.
She gave Jackson another hug and thanked him for his hospitality, and he told them to call him when his grandson was born.
"Do right by her, son," was the last thing Jackson muttered to Jethro as Jenny headed to the truck. Jethro had simply chuckled, holding in the comment that he would if Jenny would let him. She was stubborn. Next minute they were waving as they pulled out.
Jethro felt strange pulling out of the driveway. He hadn't been home in so long, and he used to be excited to leave back in the day. Now, he felt sad. He realized he had missed home more than he let himself believe. Horrible as those last memories of his mom were, horrible as the reality of her committing suicide was, hurt as he had been about his dad moving on after, and how memories of Shannon lurked all over town—it was good to return and be in those memories. It was even better to return with a woman who had made him believe in life again.
Despite the sadness that reached his heart when they passed through town—leaving behind the dress shop Shannon worked at, the diner his mom worked at, the old train station where he first talked to Shannon and she introduced him to the rules and living by a code—he couldn't help but be happy. He had someone by his side who he loved. He reached over, grabbing her hand in his, excited to return to his life with her and their soon-to-be son.
A/N: May be longer than usual before I publish the next chapter, so I'm apologizing in advance right now. Thank you to everyone who continues to read and review, and for your very kind words on this fic. I appreciate it, and I'm glad you've enjoyed it.
