A/N: Just something that popped into my head while I was at work a few days ago. Early Jibbs. Hope you like it!

She could feel his eyes on her, tracking her every move, waiting for the right moment. As she finished filling out the paperwork in front of her, Jennifer Shepard sighed, raising emerald green eyes to look across the squad room. She frowned when she didn't see the person she'd been looking for and picked up her pen again, preparing to sign it.

"What's the 'M' stand for?"

She jumped, swearing quietly at the sound of his soft voice, just over her shoulder, and turned to glare at him.

"What?"

He nodded at the form on her desk, an amused gleam in his bright blue eyes.

"Your middle initial. What's the 'M' stand for?"

Jenny rolled her eyes, signing the bottom of the form, and shook her head as she placed it into a sealed envelope.

"Must you know everything?"

He smirked, leaning over her shoulder, and she closed her eyes, trying to pretend that his close proximity wasn't making her head spin. It was difficult for her to think when her senses were being flooded with the scent of sawdust and coffee, two things she would always associate with him for the rest of her life, and he laughed quietly in her ear.

"I'll figure it out eventually, Jen. Mark my words."

"Consider them marked. And it's Shepard or Jenny. Not Jen."

Gibbs didn't answer, merely offering her a knowing smile as he walked back to his own desk, picking up the file he'd been looking at earlier. Jenny sighed, rolling her eyes as she picked up a book, praying that her day would pass quickly. If the slow ticking of the clock was any indication, she was in for a rude awakening.

"Michelle."

Jenny didn't answer, still reading the book she always kept in the back of her desk drawer, and Burley frowned as he returned from the restroom.

"Who's Michelle?"

"No one," Jenny said exasperatedly, "Gibbs just has a death wish that will end up becoming a reality by the end of the day."

Decker smirked from his own desk, looking at the other agent in amusement.

"Gibbs is trying to figure out Shepard's middle name. Starts with an 'M'. Care to take a stab at it?"

"Um...Marie? Maria?"

Jenny shook her head, still trying to immerse herself in her book.

"You're never going to figure it out. You might as well give it up."

"You know damn well that Gibbs never gives up on any mystery, no matter how trivial."

Unfortunately, Jenny had to admit, Decker made a very valid point.

Gibbs frowned as he watched the redhead make her way to the elevator, saying she was going in search of coffee. He couldn't imagine why she would be so determined to keep her middle name a secret, but he was determined to find out. Maybe it was an old family name, or maybe it was something she was embarrassed of. He couldn't picture Jenny being embarrassed about much of anything, though, so he doubted that was her reasoning. He'd been running over every possible name he could think of, and it he were quite honest, none of them seemed to fit the woman he knew.

He'd have been lying if he'd tried to say that he hadn't been intrigued by the young woman from the moment she'd been assigned to his team nearly a year ago, and while they worked together extremely well and he considered her a friend, he knew precious little about her personal life. He knew she'd been in a relationship when she first joined his team, had seen the ring on her finger that he'd since come to be surprised that she'd accepted, but it had disappeared from her hand a few months ago. He hadn't asked her about it, and she hadn't offered any explanation, so it remained a part of her life that was yet another mystery to him.

It was no secret that he was attracted to redheads, everyone knew of Diane and how his eyes had always been captivated by any flame-haired woman he passed on the street, and Jenny was no exception. With Jenny though, there was so much more to his attraction than just physicality, and it made it more difficult to work with her every passing day. He was drawn to her wit, her humour, her dedication, her intelligence, her passion...nearly every part of her that he'd been granted access to drove him insane.

He stood from his desk, slipping through the silver doors just before they closed, and Jenny frowned as she stared at him.

"In a hurry?"

"Nope."

She looked at him doubtfully but said nothing, leaning back against the wall. He flipped the emergency stop switch, causing her to glare at him, and he fought back a smile.

"Margaret."

"Are you serious?"

"Megan."

"No. Gibbs, let it go."

He moved closer to her, backing her up against the wall, and stared into her eyes seriously.

"Maxine. Meredith. Miranda. Martha. Mabel. Mae. Melissa."

Jenny shook her head, trying to look at anything but the man in front of her, and when she took a deep breath, her senses were assaulted by the intoxicating scent that accompanied him wherever he went.

"Look, just because you feel the need to go through life known as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, that doesn't mean everyone needs to give their full name upon introduction."

"I don't. Only one who calls me Leroy is my ex-wife. Everyone else calls me Gibbs. Except Ducky."

"Yeah, but Ducky's a special case. He calls everyone by their given name. And not even a shortened version."

Gibbs smirked, still standing impossibly close to her, and nodded.

"Don't think I didn't notice. He calls you Jennifer."

She rolled her eyes at the name.

"He's the only one. I'd kill anyone else."

Leaning closer, Gibbs let his eyes search hers, as though he were literally trying to read every secret that she'd ever kept. He could see the shallow rise and fall of her chest as her breathing sped up, and he knew that it wasn't a result of being in such a small space.

"What's wrong with Jennifer?"

"Sounds like I'm a little girl getting yelled at by my father."

"Fair enough."

He was close enough that he could kiss her if he moved a fraction of an inch, and while he was severely tempted, getting under her skin was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"What's wrong with Jen?"

Jenny shook her head, trying to control the rapid beating of her heart. God, he was so close...his stunning blue eyes were inches from her own, and she curled her fingers into a fist to stop her hands from shaking.

"Nothing," she whispered, "Not when you say it."

The words left her mouth before she realised it, and he brought his left hand up to rest on the wall by her head. His right slowly touched her cheek, brushing a stray strand of hair back gently.

"It was stuck," he offered as a weak explanation.

She nodded, her skin burning where he'd touched her, and she blinked slowly.

"Thanks."

Unable to stand it any longer, Gibbs leaned down, brushing his lips against hers, and when he pulled away, he was suddenly very aware of their situation. What was he thinking? She was his partner, his friend, she was so much younger than him, what if she—

Jenny's lips on his silenced any objections his mind could come up with, and before he knew what had happened, she was in his arms, her hands holding his jacket, her mouth tasting every part of his that was possible. He carefully swept his tongue over her bottom lip, silently asking her permission, and when she nodded, he let his tongue explore her mouth slowly. His hands found her waist, holding her as close to his body as he could, and she gasped when his lips touched her throat.

"Jethro..." she whispered.

She didn't know it, but Jenny had just fulfilled one of his many fantasies that had frequently occupied his thoughts at night. He ran his hand down her side, feeling her tremble in his embrace, and when her teeth grazed his bottom lip, his grip on her waist tightened. She pulled back, her eyes locking on his seriously, and he gave her a small smile.

"I shouldn't have—"

She shook her head, still holding his jacket in her fingers.

"Yes, you should have," she said quietly.

Raising up slightly, Jenny kissed him again, her right hand winding into his hair. Gibbs smiled against her lips, moving his mouth to her ear, letting his breath wash over her skin.

"Jen?"

"Hm?"

He laughed quietly when she didn't correct his use of the nickname and kissed her throat lightly.

"What's your middle name?"

Jenny glared at him, pulling away and smacking his arm hard enough that he nearly winced.

"Seriously, Jethro?"

He smirked, kissing her chastely on the lips and flipping the switch on the wall. The elevator jumped to life, and as she straightened her clothing, Jenny tossed her ponytail over her shoulder.

"You're impossible," she snapped.

"Then tell me what it is and we can pick up where we left off," he whispered in her ear as the doors opened.

Though he felt her shiver at his words and closeness, Gibbs was impressed with the redheads ability to maintain her composure as she stepped off the lift.

"Thought you went to get coffee, Red."

Jenny's eyes widened slightly at Burley's words, and she shook her head slowly.

"Changed my mind. It's getting late, and if I drink coffee now, I'll never sleep tonight."

"Oh, come on Jenny...we all know the real reason you won't be sleeping tonight. Too busy thinking about how much you want me and want to be in my arms all night."

Jenny laughed outright, staring at Burley as though he'd lost his mind.

"Fat chance. You're not my type, Stan."

Gibbs smirked at her words, knowing full well just exactly what Jenny's type was. The younger agent picked up his pencil, twirling it idly in his hand, and when his eyes lit up, the team leader knew exactly what he was going to say before he opened his mouth.

"Jenny, is your middle name Morticia?"

She laughed again, shaking her head.

"No. I'm not a member of the Addams family."

"Damn, that would have been cool. Jennifer Morticia...I like it. That's it. That's what I'm calling you from now on."

"Burley, you call me Jennifer ever again, and I'll deep fry your balls. While they're still attached to you."

Decker whistled, making Gibbs smile, and Burley looked appropriately terrified by Jenny's threat. Her eyes met Gibbs' across the squad room, and she knew he was fighting the urge to laugh. If it would make him smile at her that way, Jenny would threaten Burley's well-being until the end of time.

Sighing in relief as the clock finally read 17:00, Jenny closed her book, placing it back in her desk drawer. She always kept it nearby, regardless of the fact that she'd read it a million times, and when the drawer clicked shut, Burley looked at her seriously.

"You heading out on time?"

She nodded.

"Haven't had a case all day, I don't have any reason to hang around."

"Want to grab a beer with Decker and me? I'm buying."

Considering it carefully, the redhead finally nodded, and flashed him a smile.

"Sure. Gibbs, you in?"

The team leader nodded, not oblivious to the shock on each of their faces, and fought the urge to laugh.

"If Burley's buying, yeah. I'm in."

As they walked to the elevator, Jenny tried to pretend that she didn't notice the way Gibbs deliberately walked behind her, his eyes following the sway of her hips as she moved.

"Come on, Red. One shot. Please?"

Though she laughed, Jenny shook her head, draining the last of her beer, and set the bottle carefully on the table in front of her.

"Burley, I've already had six beers. I don't think a shot would be a good idea."

"Scared, Jenny?"

Glaring at Decker, Jenny shook her head, signaling for the waiter, and after she'd ordered a shot of rum, she tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"You're the one who should be scared, Will. You've had twelve beers and you're getting ready to do a shot of Fireball."

Decker shrugged, flashing her a smile.

"What can I say? I'm a rebel."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, tipping back his beer as he watched the scene in front of him. Jenny had pulled her hair free from its elastic, her fiery hair tumbling around her shoulders, and it took everything he had to refrain from reaching out to see if it was as soft as it appeared.

"Monica," Burley said suddenly, looking at Jenny.

"Oh, my god..." she muttered, "Let it go, Burley."

"Marsha."

Glaring at Gibbs, Jenny shook her head, pushing back from the table, her steps slightly unsteady.

"See what you started? Thanks a lot."

Before he could articulate a response, the redhead had walked away, disappearing into the night, and Gibbs sighed as he slid his chair back.

"Boss?"

"Be back in a sec."

Both agents nodded, each wondering why Jenny was so upset at the prospect of them learning her middle name, but their confusion was soon forgotten in the wake of the chicken wings that arrived moments later.

After several seconds of searching, Gibbs finally found the redhead leaning against her car, staring at the ground silently.

"Jen?"

She didn't answer, determined to ignore him, and when he moved to stand in front of her, she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"What's wrong?"

"You started this meaningless pursuit of my middle name, got Burley and Decker involved, and now they're never going to let it go."

He frowned, still unsure of why she was taking this so seriously.

"I don't get it. It's just your name. Why does it bother you so much?"

"It's not the name. I don't care about that. It's the fact that you refused to respect my wish for privacy, and you keep pushing me about it."

Oh...shit. Now it made much more sense, and he took a step closer, looking down at her seriously. He'd never realised how long her hair was when it was down, and before he could stop himself, he had reached out to brush it behind her ear.

"I didn't mean to push you, Jen. I was only joking. I wasn't even going to mention it anymore. I'll get Burley to back off."

Her eyes flickered to his, bright even in the darkened parking lot, and she nodded once.

"Thank you."

He leaned down to kiss her gently, pulling her against him with a hand on her waist, his left hand still lingering in her hair.

"You're welcome."

Just as he was preparing to step away from her, Jenny reached for his hand, her eyes meeting his in the darkness.

"Jethro?"

"Hm?"

"Kiss me again. Please."

He brought his lips to hers, holding her in place as her tongue found his, making him slightly dizzy. Her hand gripped his jacket tightly, pulling him closer, and when her lungs were screaming for air, she finally moved away, a soft smile on her face.

"We should get back inside before those two idiots kill each other," she said quietly.

He nodded, wrapping his arm around her waist as they made their way to the door. If anyone had asked, he was going to claim that he was wary of her falling in her intoxication. Not that anyone was paying them the slightest bit of attention.

Slamming the shot glass down on the table, Jenny smirked at the annoyed look on Burley's face as he realised that she'd effectively won their bet. He stared at her as she held out her hand, and she flashed him a dazzling smile.

"Pay up, Stan. I didn't flinch, you owe me five bucks."

"Last time I ever place a bet against an alcoholic..." he muttered.

Jenny rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Not an alcoholic, just not a wimp like you."

He slapped the money into her hand, and as she pocketed it, she pulled out a pen, writing on a napkin quickly.

"This has been fun, but I need to head out. Same time next Friday? I'm buying next."

Burley brightened at this, and nodded, leaning over to kiss her cheek gently.

"You'd better bring a lot of money, Red. I can already tell I'm going to be extremely thirsty that night."

She laughed, nodding at him warmly.

"I'll keep that in mind. Good night, Stan. Will."

"Night, Jenny," Decker called, looking up from his conversation with a waitress at a neighbouring table.

She laughed quietly, waving at them both, and as she walked past Gibbs, he looked at her seriously.

"I'll wait with you until your cab gets here."

"Gibbs, I'm perfectly capable—"

"Not happening. You're a young attractive woman, intoxicated, and alone. You're Ted Bundy's dream right now."

Jenny nodded, realising that he wasn't going to let the matter drop, and as he led her to the door, she glanced at him curiously.

"Hey, Gibbs...did you ever see that movie The Deliberate Stranger? You kind of look like the guy who played Ted Bundy. A bit older, but there's definitely a resemblance..."

He rolled his eyes, pushing open the door, and when they stepped into the parking lot, his hands immediately found her waist. She smiled as he kissed her, and when he pulled away, her eyes met his knowingly.

"You wanted to walk me out here just so you could kiss me, didn't you?"

He shook his head, his eyes serious.

"Nope. Meant what I said."

He kissed her again, taking pleasure in the soft moan that fell from her lips, and ran his hand through her hair.

"Kissing you is just a perk."

She laughed, and as the taxi pulled up in front of them, Gibbs reached out to open the door for her.

"Good night, Jen."

She smiled, reaching out to take his hand.

"Good night, Jethro. Have a good weekend and I'll see you Monday."

He kissed her one last time before shutting the door, and it wasn't until he'd walked back into the bar that he noticed she'd slipped the napkin she'd held into his hand. Glancing down, he recognised her neat handwriting, and read the one word she'd written carefully.

Michael

He smiled, laughing quietly, and shook his head as he rejoined the rest of his team at the table. He folded the napkin and placed it into his pocket, and Burley eyed it curiously from his seat.

"What's that?"

"The answer to a mystery," Gibbs replied, reaching for his beer.

He couldn't deny the immense pride he felt at the fact that Jenny had entrusted him with the secret of her middle name, and while it wasn't a life-altering revelation, he was determined that it would follow him to the grave. After all, he'd kept far worse, and if this made their relationship stronger, he would do anything it took.

A/N: Look up the cast of The Deliberate Stranger if you want an additional chuckle. Bonus points if you figure out where Jenny's middle name came from.