A/N: Hope you enjoy the latest chapter! Let me know if you do!

If anyone had asked her at that particular moment what her name was, Jennifer Shepard wouldn't have been able to answer. She'd been working for fifty-three hours straight and showed no signs of slowing down. When her phone rang, she reached across her desk, sighing as she took a drink from her now-cold coffee.

"Shepard."

"It's after midnight."

She glanced at her watch, frowning.

"Yes."

"You're still working? How long has it been since you've been out of the office?"

Jenny sighed, signing the bottom of the report she'd been reading. Her eyes burned with exhaustion and she blinked hard.

"I'm working, Jethro."

"You're exhausted. Take a break. It'll still be there in a few hours. Go home."

Home sounded wonderful to her, but she couldn't leave until she'd finished her work. Not that she would ever tell him that she was using work to distract herself from the nightmares that had plagued her sleep for weeks.

"I can't, Jethro. I have—"

"Jen?"

He waited, and she knew he wanted her to respond.

"What?"

"Come home."

It was a small distinction, but it was enough. She pulled her glasses from her face and ran a hand tiredly through her hair.

"I'll leave now."

"Be safe."

As she pulled her car in behind Gibbs' truck, Jenny smiled. She'd been spending more time at his house lately than her own, and she had to admit, it somehow felt right. Opening the door, she paused just inside the entrance, her every sense on high alert. She turned around, scanning the area around his front yard, and frowned. She had the feeling she was being watched and when she felt arms wrap around her from behind, she jumped.

"You okay?"

His voice was low in her ear and she nodded.

"Just a little on edge."

He kissed the hollow of her ear and pulled her closer against him. She was tense in his embrace and he frowned, turning her so that she faced him.

"What is it?"

"I felt like someone was watching me."

His eyes immediately hardened and searched the darkness around them. He could see nothing out of the ordinary, but he pushed her behind him nonetheless. As he stepped back into the living room, he did something he hadn't done in years. Jenny gasped as his fingers released the lock and she stared at him with wide eyes.

"You never lock your door."

"Not taking any chances. Not with you."

Nodding silently, she followed him farther into the living room and sat down gingerly on his couch. He joined her seconds later, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She was shaking slightly and he touched her face gently.

"You're safe here, Jen."

She laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. She was so damn tired, but she couldn't sleep. Her nightmares were far more terrifying than dealing with a little physical fatigue. Gibbs looked at her carefully, noting her paler than usual skin, the dark circles under her eyes stark against the white, and sighed.

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"Since you've slept."

She shrugged and he forced her to look at him.

"Three days."

"Jen."

She glared at him, and he shook his head sadly. He knew why she hadn't been sleeping, but he hadn't realised that she had been actively avoiding sleep. Running her fingers through his hair, she smiled as she looked over at him, and he met her gaze steadily.

"Jethro?"

He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Will you do something for me?"

"Sure."

Her eyes never left his, and he frowned as he watched them darken in the dim light.

"Kiss me."

His lips met hers and as her tongue explored his mouth, one of his hands tangled in her hair. The other pulled her closer and when she moved to straddle his waist, she smirked. Her hands touched as much of his body as they could reach and she gasped as his hand trailed down her side. Finally, he pulled away and when she tried to capture his lips again, he dodged her easily.

"Not tonight."

She frowned. What sane man would turn down a night of sex with an extremely willing redhead?

"Come on, Jethro. You're not serious."

"Yep."

Not quite ready to admit defeat, she tried again, lightly brushing her lips across his throat. He pulled away, lifting her from his lap, and she glared.

"I know what you're trying to do. It won't work, Jen."

"What?"

"You're trying to use sex to stay awake. I know you."

She frowned, shaking her head.

"I was just—"

"Go to bed."

Her lips found his throat again and he pushed her back gently, looking in her eyes seriously.

"Jen. Bed. Now."

Sighing, she sat back on the couch dramatically and glared at him. He stood, holding out his hand, and pulled her to her feet. She had thought he was going to join her, but when he made his way to the basement steps, she frowned.

"You're not coming?"

"Nope. You and I both know that you would try to get me to keep you awake, and that's not going to happen."

"Jethro, I—"

"No. Upstairs."

He gave her a gentle push towards the stairs and she sighed, knowing that she had lost this particular battle. Climbing the steps, she gave him one last glare before she closed the bedroom door, and he smirked as he went to tend to his boat. Stubborn though she was, he loved her, and he'd be damned if he was going to let her work herself to death.

Jenny cursed under her breath as she slammed the door of her office and threw her coat onto the couch. She'd had one of the most frustrating days in her time as Director and as she sat down behind her desk, she sighed. She needed to finish signing off on a few reports and felt her annoyance increase as she realised her favourite pen was nowhere in sight. Rummaging through the drawers of her desk, she finally found an acceptable substitute and she closed the drawer quicker than she had anticipated.

The drawer caught her hand and her eyes immediately closed in pain.

"Son of a bitch!"

She held up her injured hand to survey the damage. The skin had broken and a steady stream of blood dripped down onto her desk, staining the wood. Just as she was searching for something to wrap it in, her phone rang and she groaned.

"Yes?"

"Director, you might want to turn on ZNN. There's something you should probably see."

Damn. There was no way in hell that this was a good thing. Thanking he assistant, Jenny hung up and reached to turn on the screen on the wall opposite her. As the clip played back, she frowned as she watched Gibbs snap at the reporter and just as he was about to push past her, the young woman pulled her hand back and slapped him hard enough that he winced visibly. Roughly pushing her aside with his shoulder, his final words to "get the damn camera out of his face" were as clear as the shock on the younger woman's face. Not that Jenny could entirely blame him for his reaction, but he knew better than to rise to the bait of reporters.

Jenny stood, still cradling her hand and stormed out of her office, making her way to the catwalk. They would never take her seriously if she let this slide. No matter how much she had personally agreed with his actions.

Tony DiNozzo saw her first, walking purposefully down the stairs and frowned.

"This isn't gonna be good."

McGee glanced up, and as he caught sight of Director Shepard's face, his eyes widened in fear.

"Uh-oh. Here we go again."

"Where's Gibbs?"

None of them wanted to speak, too afraid of incurring her wrath, and her eyes flashed.

"Where is he, Tony?" she snapped.

"Coffee run."

The elevator dinged and the man in question stepped off, glancing at the redhead standing in front of his desk.

"Need something?"

The glare she sent him made McGee flinch and Tony tried desperately to pretend that he was working.

"My office. Now."

"Kinda busy."

"Now, Agent Gibbs!"

He set his coffee down and followed her to her office, trying his best not to smirk. He should have known that she would see the news, and he had known that she would be angry when she did. The door shut behind her and she immediately rounded on him.

"What the hell were you doing?"

"Jen, she slapped me. Or did you miss that part?"

"No, I didn't, but you still can't go off on reporters like that."

"Jen, all I said was to—"

"Enough! I'm ordering you to issue a formal apology."

"You can't do that!"

"I can, and I am," she replied smoothly.

His eyes widened slightly and she frowned. Gibbs took a step toward her, causing her to glare at him, and he sighed.

"That's completely ridiculous."

"Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, we do have to work in tandem with reporters, politicians, and lawyers. It's about time you learned how to play nice!" she yelled.

"Jenny."

She looked at him, his serious tone catching her off-guard, and he moved closer.

"Stop for a minute. What happened to your hand?"

"Don't change the subject," she snapped, "Your actions were out of line, and—"

Her words were silenced by his lips on hers and though she tensed at first, she quickly gave in to his kiss. As he pulled back, she frowned and again he fought the urge to smirk.

"Shut up, Jen. It'll be fine. Promise."

"Jethro, you can't just kiss me and get off scott free. That's not how this works."

He shook his head.

"Nah. I'll fix it. Just needed you to stop yelling. You're sexy when you're mad."

She slapped him lightly with her good hand.

"Shut up, Jethro."

Shivering as she walked into her house four hours later, Jenny sighed as she slipped off her heels. It had been one of the coldest winters in her memory, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up in front of her fireplace with a drink. She was feeling slightly festive, so rather than her usual bourbon, she opted to make a mug of hot cocoa and added a generous amount of peppermint schnapps and as she lit the fire, she smiled.

Her phone chirped as she curled up in her chair, feet tucked under her, and she sighed as she pulled it from her pocket.

"Shepard."

"Issued your apology."

She smirked, taking a sip of her drink carefully.

"And did it kill you?"

"A bit."

She blew into her mug, not wanting to burn herself, and sighed.

"Is that all?"

"Yeah. Unless you needed something else. Want me to send her flowers?"

"Definitely not."

Running her fingers through her hair, she blinked, trying to force herself to stay awake. Though the Christmas holiday was swiftly approaching, she hadn't even thought about slowing her schedule down to fit the hectic season. As she waited for Gibbs to reply and drained her cup, a sudden noise caused her to bolt upright, looking around frantically.

"I could always—"

"Shh!"

"What?"

"Hush, Jethro. I thought I heard something outside."

She was tense, her every sense trained on her surroundings, not even listening to the voice coming from her phone.

"Jen?"

She stood, setting her empty mug down on her desk, and she made her way to the study door, drawing her weapon. She could hear Gibbs calling her name, but she was too preoccupied to answer. As she made her way into the living room, she thought she saw a shadow pass the front window.

"Jethro, I have to go."

"Jen, wait. Don't—"

Hanging up the phone, she walked to her door, wrenching it open. She fought back a scream as she saw the figure standing on her front porch, and held her gun in front of her. Noemi's eyes widened and she gasped as she registered the weapon pointed at her and she jumped.

"Senora! What is wrong?"

Jenny sighed in relief, lowering the firearm, and placed her head in her hand.

"Nothing. You just startled me."

"I come by to bring you clothes," Noemi replied, holding up Jenny's dry-cleaning bag.

The redhead nodded, taking the offered bag.

"Thank you, Noemi. I'm sorry. You're free to go."

The younger woman nodded.

"Are you okay, Senora?"

Jenny offered her a weak smile, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart in her ears. It wasn't her housekeeper's fault that she jumped at everything now.

"I'm fine. Have a good night."

"You are sure?"

Nodding, Jenny gave her another smile and closed the door. She locked it securely, sliding down the solid oak and closing her eyes tiredly. Jenny wasn't sure how long she stayed on her floor, but when the harsh pounding on the door sounded, she jumped, her eyes flying open. Bolting to her feet, she opened the door, frowning at the man on the other side.

"Jethro? What are you doing here?"

"You hung up on me," he said simply.

"And you just had to rush over and make sure that I was safe."

He shrugged and she smirked knowingly. Truth be told, she was more than a little grateful that he'd shown up. Her hands found his waist and pulled him closer to her, capturing his lips with her own. He could taste the wintry cool of the peppermint on her tongue and when he pulled away, he smiled down at her.

"Hot cocoa, Jen?"

She shrugged.

"Tis the season," she quipped.

He nodded.

"Fair enough."

"You know, I haven't even started decorating, Jethro. Care to help?"

She knew he'd never been much for celebrating the holiday, but she was determined to give him happy memories to recall when the bad threatened his mind. He cocked an eyebrow at her and she pouted slightly.

"Come on, Jethro," she murmured as her lips skimmed his throat, "It won't kill you."

He shivered beneath her touch, but shook his head.

"Later," he promised, kissing her forehead softly, "Right now, I have other plans."

She stared up at him, noting the way his eyes had darkened, and she smirked.

"Hm...have you been a good boy this year?"

"Not one day."

He pulled her closer, yanking her hair back and bringing his lips to hers in a bruising kiss. Her hands gripped his shoulders tightly and she moaned as he pulled her bottom lip between his teeth. Gibbs backed her into the wall and as her body slammed into it, Jenny gasped, her hands never leaving his body. His own hands snaked down her hips, and as they moved past the waistband of her jeans, Jenny's mouth found his again, her tongue dancing over his own. Her body jerked as he touched her, and when his fingers slid inside of her, she moaned into his mouth.

It probably should have bothered her that he was so close to breaking her and they were both still fully clothed, that they were essentially fucking against a wall when there was a perfectly good couch in the living room, but Jenny couldn't bring herself to care. He curled his fingers in a way that made her entire body shake and she cried out as her head fell back against the wall. He was better with his hands than any man she'd ever known and she whispered his name hoarsely as he kissed her throat.

Jenny's pulse was racing, and Gibbs smiled as he drug his teeth along her neck. He could taste her heartbeat in his mouth and he began to thrust his fingers faster. They were wetter now than before and he pulled back to look at her seriously.

"This is because of me?"

"You have no idea."

"Jen—"

"Not now. Don't stop."

He shifted slightly, the new angle allowing him to move deeper, and she jerked in his arms, a harsh cry tearing from her throat.

"Oh, God, Jethro..."

Each thrust of his hand hit her perfectly, and she lowered her head to his shoulder, biting down to keep from screaming. She whimpered as his thumb flicked against her and as her hips ground against him, he smirked.

"Christ, Jen."

She moaned quietly, bringing her lips to his in a desperate attempt to taste him. She needed more of him, and as her tongue explored his mouth, he twisted his wrist, hitting her just right and she tore her lips away from him, crying out wordlessly. Her breath caught in her throat and he buried his fingers to the knuckles inside of her, her grip on his shoulders almost painfully tight.

As Jenny shattered beneath him, Gibbs moved his fingers faster, letting her ride out her climax, and when she finally collapsed against his chest, he kissed her hair softly.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I know."

McGee sighed as he watched Abby run the security footage from the night of Director Shepard's rape for the millionth time.

"Abby. I don't think we're going to find anything. We've watched the tape a million times."

The Goth glared at him and he frowned.

"I know, McGee. But I have to try. I owe it to the Director. I can't give up yet. Even if it is making my hair fall out. This is stressing me out, McGee. I need another CAF-POW. By the way, did you know that the average human loses up to 100-125 hairs a day?"

She turned on her heel, making her way to her refrigerator, and McGee ran the tape back again. As he watched, he noticed the man was incredibly close to Director Shepard's face, possibly speaking to her, and he slammed his hand down on the table.

"That's it! Abby, you're a genius!"

"I know. But, why?"

"Hairs. You just said the average person loses up to 100-125 hairs a day. We checked all the evidence for skin. Do we have the Director's clothes from that night?"

Abby nodded.

"Everything except her coat. What are you thinking?"

McGee gestured to the screen in front of them.

"Look how close he is to her. He's probably saying something to her. He might have lost some hair that fell on her clothes. We need her coat. Where is it?"

Abby shook her head.

"I don't know. Probably at her house."

Frowning, McGee shook his head.

"I don't think so. Gibbs was the one who brought her in. Maybe he knows."

"Gibbs isn't here, Timmy."

She had a point. However, there were other options. They simply needed to discuss them as a team first.

"All I'm saying is, we go ask Gibbs if he knows what happened to the Director's coat that night."

Tony frowned.

"If he wanted to be reached, he would answer his phone, McGeek. He doesn't want to be bothered, and I think we should respect that."

"Tony, this could be the break we need."

Ziva glanced up from her book, looking back and forth between the two agents.

"I agree with McGee. We should go ask Gibbs."

Sighing, Tony ran a hand through his hair.

"Look. If we go ask Gibbs, he's likely going to head slap us into the next century for not following orders. And if he doesn't, the Director will."

Ziva looked at him, meeting his eyes seriously, and he groaned. He'd known he couldn't fight both of them, but he had expected the Israeli to be on his side.

"Fine. Come on."

As she drained the last of the bourbon from the mason jar, Jenny fought the shudder that passed through her body. She stumbled up the steps of his basement, intent on getting a glass of water to hopefully stave off any hangover she might have in the morning and just as she passed through the living room, a noise outside made her pause.

Shaking her head, she made her way into his kitchen, mentally kicking herself. She'd been hearing things quite frequently lately that shouldn't have bothered her in the slightest, but nothing seemed to calm her irrational fears. The slight creak of the front door opening made her tense up, but as soon as she heard the voice of Tony DiNozzo, she sighed, relaxing.

"Boss? You home?"

Not one to let an opportunity pass by, Jenny crept silently to the doorway, waiting for her chance. DiNozzo, McGee and Ziva all moved past her and she stepped out behind them, her voice low and calm.

"Get lost on your way home?"

They all whipped around, Tony's eyes wide, and Jenny smirked.

"Director Shepard! W-we, uh, we were looking for Gibbs."

"I gathered as much, Agent DiNozzo."

As Tony's eyes moved over her body, Jenny was suddenly aware of how she must look. Wearing one of Gibbs' old NIS shirts, casual jeans, and completely barefoot, she could only imagine what he was thinking. As it stood, she was far too inebriated to really care.

"Is he here?"

Jenny nodded, jerking her head in the direction of the basement. She didn't speak, not trusting her words to come out steadily, and beckoned them to follow her. McGee seemed to pick up on the fact that she'd been drinking, but wisely said nothing as they made their way to the basement.

"What took you so long, Jen?"

"I was ambushed."

Gibbs turned, frowning when he saw the three agents behind her and nodded once. She made her way over to his work table, picking up the mason jar she had set down earlier and filling it once more with bourbon. Tony watched her, fascinated by how at home she looked in his domain, at how confidently she moved around the boat, as if she belonged there, and for the first time he noticed the way Gibbs was looking at her.

There was a possessiveness in his eyes as he watched the redhead sit down on his old couch, crossing her legs gracefully, and as she took a slow drink of her bourbon, a silent communication seemed to pass between them. Tony and Ziva exchanged a knowing glance and McGee cleared his throat softly.

"Boss, we were, um...wondering...and actually since Director Shepard's here, we can just ask her..."

"Spit it out, McGee," Gibbs barked.

"Do you still have the coat you were wearing the night of your..." McGee paused, looking at Jenny apologetically.

She was silent for a long moment before she nodded, standing slowly. Her vision swam and she swayed slightly on her feet, blinking hard. Gibbs steadied her with a hand on her shoulder and when she nodded, he released her, watching carefully as she made her way to the steps. Her coat had been stored in his closet ever since her attack, Jenny having been unable to stomach the thought of wearing it again and when she was out of earshot, Tony turned to his boss.

"How is she, boss?"

Gibbs shrugged.

"Hard to say."

Jenny stared at the coat hanging in the hall closet, willing herself to pull it from the wire hanger, and she closed her eyes with a sigh.

Come on, Shepard, she thought angrily, It's just a damn coat.

Reaching out, she was embarrassed to discover her hands were shaking, and she pulled it loose, holding it out in front of her as if it would burn her. She walked back down to the basement, and when she handed the coat to McGee, she could feel cool steel eyes watching her from across the room. Crossing to the couch where she had left her drink, she smiled gratefully when he filled her makeshift glass again.

"Thanks," she said softly.

McGee took the coat, turning it over in his hands, and took a step back to the stairs.

"Thank you, Director. I'll get this to Abby right away."

As Gibbs watched her protectively, Jenny nodded, dismissing the agents. Wisely, no one commented on the Director taking charge even in Gibbs' basement and when they were alone once again, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her temple. She sighed as she finished her drink, trying to ignore the violent shaking in her hands.

As soon as she opened her front door, Jenny gasped. Bright multi-coloured lights glittered throughout her house, and when she entered the living room, she smiled at the sight of the large Christmas tree. The garland had been carefully strung, ornaments perfectly placed, and as she pulled out her phone, she had to wipe away the lone tear that had escaped her bright green eyes.

"Yeah. Gibbs."

"Thank you. It's beautiful."

"Not done yet."

He hung up and when she felt his arms wrap around her waist from behind, she smiled. Turning in his arms, she placed a light kiss to his lips, running her hands over his shoulders. He released her and turned to a box sitting on the floor that she hadn't even noticed in her elation over the tree. Pulling out a small ornament, he held it out to her, watching as her eyes flickered in recognition.

"Jethro, is that—"

"Yep."

She reached for the ornament, holding it delicately in her hand, and examined it closely. Every detail was exactly as she remembered it, though she hadn't seen the decoration in over six years. He had gotten it for her in Positano after seeing how disappointed she'd been over their less-than-stellar Christmas decorations. He'd had it engraved with two intertwining J's along with the year, in delicate silver writing. She hadn't known that he'd kept it all these years, but seeing it before her now brought up waves of emotions that she didn't know how to handle.

"I saved this one for last. Thought we could hang it together."

He took her hand gently in his and they placed it in the center of the tree, brilliantly lit with the glow of lights. She pulled him in for a kiss, and when she looked into his eyes, she saw a wide range of emotions pass through them. They were reflected in her own eyes, and she threaded her fingers through his hair.

"It's perfect, Jethro. Thank you."

"Anything for you, Jen."

She smiled, reaching up to touch his face gently.

"You've had it all these years."

"Always knew you'd come back."

Raising a perfectly arched eyebrow at him, she laughed at his almost-arrogant smirk and he ran his hand over her cheek.

"It's beautiful."

"So are you, Jenny."

A slight blush crept into her skin at his words and he brought his lips down to hers, brushing them lightly.

"Will you stay tonight?"

"Try and stop me."

She pulled away from his embrace, walking towards the kitchen and he frowned. When she poured peppermint schnapps into a glass and tipped it back, he smirked, wondering what kind of signal she was trying to send him.

"My relaxation time was interrupted the other night," she explained, "and after all, it's almost Christmas."

Another long drink followed and he could smell the minty sweet liquid even from where he stood across the room. She approached him slowly, a smile spreading over her face as she noticed the one decoration she had placed herself, and he frowned.

"Jenny?"

"Close your eyes."

His frown only intensified.

"Why?"

"Just trust me, Jethro."

He sighed, but closed his eyes as requested. She ran her hands up his body, her cool breath drifting over his lips as she moved closer, her mouth finding his in a slow, deliberate kiss. Her peppermint-flavoured tongue danced over his own, and when she pulled back, she raised her eyes to a spot above his head.

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly," she sang softly, her voice low and sultry.

He frowned and when she pointed upward, he tilted his head. Mistletoe hung just above where he stood and he smirked as her lips ghosted over his throat.

"Tis the season to be jolly," she whispered.

She kissed him again and he let his senses be flooded by her. The wintry taste of her mouth, the sweet scent of her perfume, and the soft silk of her hair all drove him past the point of rational thought, and he smiled against her lips.

"Jen?"

"Yes?"

"Let's go to bed."

The low pitch of her voice as she laughed made him want her all the more, and as he led her to the stairs, he found himself wondering how he had ever managed his life without her. He only hoped that he could give her the protection and safety that she deserved. He'd be damned if he was ever going to let someone hurt her again.

A/N: Not sure when I'll be able to update again, but I promise to do my best.