A/N: Just a little short one-shot about Jenny's first time voluntarily drinking bourbon. Jibbs, all the way! Enjoy.
Frowning at the three agents sitting on the ground in front of him, Leroy Jethro Gibbs took a step closer to the fire they had built and pulled his jacket tighter around him. He hadn't really believed Jenny when she'd told him that Decker and Burley were planning to have a makeshift campfire, but now he saw that she had been telling him the truth. He eyed the liquor bottles next to them and shook his head slowly.
"What are you three doing?"
"Sitting. Drinking."
Rolling his eyes at Burley, Gibbs nodded.
"I can see that. Drinking what?"
"Well, Shepard just finished her beer, Decker and I are about to open this bottle of bourbon...want any?"
"That damn well better not be the bottle of bourbon I just bought," Gibbs threatened.
"It isn't," Jenny shook her head, "we bought this one. Yours is still in the kitchen."
He nodded, motioning for her to move over. Her eyes widened as she realised he was serious, and she moved closer to Burley, giving him a place to sit.
"Jenny, I knew you'd come around eventually," Burley said, pouring a shot and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
She rolled her eyes.
"Not a chance in hell."
He kissed her cheek and she lightly shoved him away, shaking her head.
"Get the hell off me, Burley," Decker grumbled as he fell into his lap.
Burley straightened up, handing Jenny a shot of bourbon and she looked at it skeptically. The last time she'd tasted it had been when Gibbs had forced it down her throat to remove the bullet from her leg, and to say that it had been unpleasant would have been an understatement.
"It won't bite, Shepard."
"Yeah, we're learning what it feels like to be Gibbs."
Gibbs snorted and rolled his eyes.
"All the liquor in the world wouldn't make you like me," he deadpanned.
Shrugging, Jenny tossed it back, coughing as it burned down her throat, and Gibbs smirked.
"Okay, maybe it does bite a little," he conceded.
She glared at him, pulling her long red hair from the ponytail and snapping the elastic on his wrist. He winced at the sting and she shot him a look that said they were even. Burley poured her another shot and she tipped it back, determined not to choke on this one, and she smiled internally as she succeeded. It seemed smoother the second time, and she graciously accepted the third as Burley's slightly unsteady hands offered her the bottle.
Though he knew that they were all adults, Gibbs couldn't keep himself from counting the number of shots they each downed in the next few hours. Burley, in spite of having only four, was now attempting to serenade both Jenny and Decker, and the other agent rolled his eyes. Decker was right behind him at three, and surprisingly in the lead with six, was Jenny, though she seemed to be the steadiest of them all.
Watching her as she polished off another, Gibbs shook his head as she reached for the bottle again.
"You might want to slow down, Shepard."
She looked at him, her eyes full of confusion, and smiled.
"I'm fine, Gibbs. I don't feel anything."
He nodded.
"You will."
He knew, given the fast pace in which she'd drank them, combined with her weight and the fact that he hadn't seen her eat anything that night, that it was only a matter of time before the full force of the alcohol slammed into her. When it did, it was going to be rough, and he didn't want to risk any of them getting hurt.
Burley stood, staggering slowly back into their safe house, oblivious to the amount of noise he was making, and Jenny exchanged a look with Decker.
"Maybe one of us should go make sure he doesn't break his neck."
He shrugged.
"You're the one he kissed, Shepard."
"Yeah, but you're the one he sang "I'm Your Baby Tonight" to."
"What is it with drunk Burley and Whitney Houston?" Decker grumbled as he stood up.
Jenny laughed.
"If you want, I'll go check on him."
Decker shook his head.
"Nah. Gotta take a leak, anyway."
She nodded, still laughing, and once he had disappeared into the house, she reached again for the bottle. Gibbs wrapped his hand around her wrist, stopping her from picking it up, and she frowned.
"I'm serious, Jen. Slow down. You'll regret it in the morning."
Sighing, she glared at him and rolled her eyes again.
"I told you, Jethro. I'm fine."
"Give it time."
Finally, she nodded, fighting the urge to lay her head on his shoulder, and instead she focused on the fact that he hadn't let go of her wrist. His hand was warm on her skin, in spite of the cold night, and she smiled. She knew they had to be careful, couldn't risk anyone knowing about their relationship yet, but it was so difficult to remember that whenever he touched her.
As she realised that Decker had been gone for an unusual amount of time, Jenny glanced around her, wondering what had taken him so long. She stood up, fully intending to search the house and surrounding area for the agent, but the sudden rush of dizziness made her stumble slightly. Gibbs glanced up at her, making sure to keep her away from the fire, and smirked at her.
"Told you it would hit."
She attempted to glare at him, but when she turned, she lost her footing, falling backward onto the hard ground.
"Son of a bitch," she muttered.
He laughed, standing up and offering her his hand. As he pulled her to her feet, she fell forward, landing in his arms in a manner that was less than graceful, and he shook his head in amusement. He'd tried to warn her, but she'd insisted on being so damn stubborn...
"Stay right here. Let me put out this fire so you don't fall into it and end up looking like fried chicken."
He walked her a good distance away, carefully dousing the fire, and when he glanced at her again, he noticed that she was staring up at the sky with a puzzled expression.
"Jenny?"
"Hm?"
She looked at him, smiling softly, and pointed.
"Look. Cassiopeia."
He frowned, having absolutely no idea what she was talking about, and she laughed.
"It's a constellation, Jethro," she explained.
Nodding, he reached for her arm, attempting to guide her to the house. She stumbled, leaning on him heavily, and he rolled his eyes.
"I told you, Jen."
When they finally made it into the house, he frowned at the sight of Burley passed out on the couch, and Decker on the floor. They exchanged a puzzled look, and Gibbs shook his head.
"Help me turn them over. Last thing we need is to have them choke on their own vomit."
Jenny nodded, leaning over Burley carefully, trying not to fall, and when she had finally managed to turn him over, she blew her hair out of her face in annoyance. Looking at her closely, Gibbs realised that she had paled considerably, and he frowned. She coughed lightly, and he took a step closer to her.
"Jen?"
She was silent, shaking her head slowly, and he reached for her arm.
"I think...Jethro, I think I drank way too much."
He nodded, pulling her carefully away from the living room and leading her into the small kitchen. She jerked out of his grasp as soon as she could, bolting for the trash bin, and he ran his hand through his hair as he watched her throw up the alcohol in her stomach. He filled a small glass with water, handing it to her wordlessly, and after she rinsed her mouth, she gave him a tired smile.
"Thanks."
He smiled back at her, holding his arm out, and she fell into his embrace with a quiet laugh.
"Jethro?"
"Yeah?"
Whatever she'd been going to say was lost as Decker came barreling into the room, reaching for the trash bin next to the door. Jenny watched him sadly, walking over and running her hand soothingly over his back.
"You okay, Will?"
"I'm never letting Burley talk me into that again," he moaned.
She kissed his shoulder lightly, and made her way closer to Gibbs.
"Are you going to be okay if I go to sleep?" she asked Decker.
He nodded.
"Yeah. Go to bed, Jenny. Thanks."
Glancing at him once more before she left, Jenny nodded, allowing Gibbs to pull her from the room. They both knew that Decker was too busy emptying his stomach to notice them, and Burley was still passed out on the couch. Jenny swore as her hip connected painfully with the wall as they made their way towards their bedrooms, and Gibbs looked at her seriously.
"You okay?"
She nodded, and just outside her door, he stopped, his eyes locking on hers as they stood in the darkness.
"I tried to tell you to slow down."
"I know."
Her hand went to his hair, running through it gently, and he frowned as he glanced around the hall.
"Jen..."
"Shh...no one's going to notice us. In case you've forgotten, Decker's puking his guts out in the kitchen, and Burley is dead to the world."
Realising she had a point, he merely nodded, and as she moved closer, his own hands moved to her waist.
"You know how they say that people say things they don't mean when they're drunk?" she asked suddenly.
He nodded, wondering where she was going with this.
"In my experience, that's not true. It lowers your inhibitions and makes you more likely to do things that you were too afraid to do sober."
"Makes sense," he agreed.
"However, the main thing I've noticed is that it makes me want you even more than I already do."
She kissed him slowly, her body feeling suddenly hot, as though she needed to be touched, and he held her against him tightly.
"We can't, Jen. You're too drunk."
Shaking her head, Jenny kissed him again, and he had to fight his every instinct to take her into the bedroom and give her exactly what she wanted. He wasn't self-righteous enough to pretend that he'd never slept with her when she'd been drunk before, but this was an entirely different matter. He knew that it wouldn't be long before she passed out, and he didn't want either of them to have to deal with the aftermath.
"We both know how good I am, even when I'm drunk," she whispered, her lips brushing his ear.
"It isn't that."
Her eyes widened slowly, and she suddenly stepped away from him, leaving a coldness where her body had been. He grabbed her arm, not wanting her to fall, and when she spoke, her voice was a whisper.
"Jethro...something doesn't feel right."
Before he had time to react, her body had gone limp, only held up by his hand on her arm, and he swore quietly as he pulled her into his arms. Her head fell against his chest as he carried her into her bedroom, and as he placed her onto the bed, he brought his ear to her chest to make sure she was breathing. Feeling her pulse, he threw a blanket over her when he was satisfied that there was no immediate danger, and he kissed her forehead as he closed the door softly behind him.
Groaning as she opened her eyes, Jenny wanted nothing more than to bury herself in her blankets and sleep for all eternity. She sighed an she turned onto her back, breathing slowly, and willed herself not to vomit. Her memory of the previous night was entirely blank after a certain point, and finally, she couldn't deny the need to vomit any longer.
She didn't say anything to Gibbs as she pushed past him to the sink, and as she threw up violently, he found it difficult to keep a straight face. When she collapsed weakly on the counter, he slid a cup of coffee over to her, shaking his head when she frowned at the lack of cream and sugar.
"Drink it black. The stronger, the better you'll feel."
She moaned softly, and he ran his hand over her hair lightly.
"Gonna make it?"
Shaking her head, she took a careful drink of the coffee, grimacing at the taste.
"Burley?"
He snorted.
"Found him vomiting in the yard this morning. Haven't seen Decker yet. Think he might be in a ditch somewhere."
Jenny laughed weakly, thankful that Gibbs' voice was soft, and she turned to lean against him shoulder in exhaustion.
"Jethro?"
"Hm?"
"What happened?"
"Let's see...you had six or seven shots of bourbon, in addition to a beer, Burley kissed you and sang Whitney Houston songs to Decker, they passed out, you threw up into the trash, Decker threw up into the trash, I walked you to your room...you attempted to sleep with me and then passed out in the hall."
She frowned, thinking hard.
"You...you caught me."
He nodded.
"Barely. You went down pretty fast, Jen. Scared me a bit."
"I'm sorry," she murmured, "I shouldn't have tried to sleep with you."
"Never say you're sorry. Sign of weakness. Besides, it's not like us sleeping together is anything new. It just would have felt too much like assault if I would have said yes last night."
"Oh, God..." she gasped in horror, "I was that bad? Jethro, I would never force—"
"No," he interrupted gently, his hand on her cheek reassuringly, "I meant it would have been like me assaulting you. You were beyond trashed, and I couldn't have lived with myself if I had done that."
She frowned, looking up at him in confusion.
"You would never hurt me. I know that without a doubt."
"That's how it would have felt, though. I won't do that to you, Jen."
The slamming of the door caused Jenny to wince, and she moaned, placing her head in her hand.
"Is there any coffee left?"
Jenny pointed, glaring at him, and he set his cup down, the sound thundering in her head.
"Stan...do you have to be so loud?"
He looked at her, taking in her haggard appearance, and frowned.
"Sorry, Red. You look like hell."
"Just what a woman wants to hear in the morning."
He shrugged.
"She looked good enough for you to kiss her last night," Gibbs said, the irritation in his voice only partially false.
"What?"
Burley looked between them, shaking his head in disbelief.
"I didn't..."
Jenny nodded, running her hand through her hair slowly.
"You did."
"Oh, shit...I'm...fuck, I'm sorry, Jenny."
She laughed, patting his arm reassuringly.
"It isn't me you should be apologising to."
He looked at Gibbs fearfully.
"Whatever I did, Gibbs..."
"Not me," Gibbs shook his head.
"You owe both Decker and Whitney Houston an apology. You scarred him for life, and ruined one of her best songs."
Jenny couldn't stop herself from laughing at the horrified expression on Burley's face, and as he went to find Decker, Gibbs wrapped his arm around her shoulder gently.
"Next time I tell you to slow down, you'll listen, won't you?"
She nodded, laying her head on his shoulder.
"Definitely. Can we go to bed now?"
He frowned.
"Not unless you want to get caught, Jen."
Jenny sighed, shaking her head slowly.
"Fine, but I'm going to bed. I need to sleep. For the rest of my life."
She gave him a light kiss before she left the kitchen, shaking her head in amusement as she listened to Burley deliver an over-the-top apology to Decker in the front yard. Overall, her first experience with Gibbs' liquor of choice hadn't gone as badly as she had expected, but she was definitely not going to do it again any time soon. Or at least, she wasn't going to ignore his warnings the next time she did.
A/N: I honestly don't remember my first time drinking bourbon. Not because I was so drunk, but because it was so long ago. I do know without a doubt that Gibbs was definitely not there, and that makes it less than memorable.