A/N: It was brought to my attention that the last chapter had procedural errors regarding the courtroom scene. My apologies, I am not very familiar with the American legal system, and I do hope that it didn't detract from the story too much. I appreciate the feedback, however, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter. It's verdict time! Here we go!

Jenny twisted her hands in her lap as she sat in the courtroom, trying to pretend that she wasn't nervous. Daniel Way noticed his client's unease and leaned closer, hoping to give her some measure of comfort.

"It's going to be fine, Jenny."

She glanced over at him, and nodded, though she didn't entirely believe him. More than anything, she wished Gibbs could have been present, but his team had gotten a case early that morning. As she waited, she pulled out her wallet, fingering the small slip of paper hidden behind the twenty dollars. She didn't dare take it out and read it, not here, but just knowing that it was in her hands calmed her slightly.

They rose and as Judge Bishop sat down in his chair, they all did the same. Turning to the foreman of the jury, he asked for their final decision, and Jenny held her breath. Standing, the foreman looked to the Judge and Jenny really wished he would hurry. She blinked, and though she could see the foreman's lips moving, the words came to her distorted and unclear.

Judge Bishop nodded in acceptance of the ruling, and Jenny frowned as Daniel turned to her, looking at her seriously.

"Jenny?"

"W-what did he say?"

Her voice was a whisper and hard to hear over the murmur of the court.

"We got him, Jenny. It's over."

He smiled at her and she frowned, still not sure she had heard him correctly.

"It's over?" she repeated weakly.

Daniel nodded and Jenny sat back in her seat. She couldn't believe it. After all the bad publicity surrounding the case, criticizing her relationship with Gibbs, calling her a liar, a slut, a whore...she had been sure the jury would rule in favour of Harrison. She'd been almost positive. She had never been so happy to be proven wrong in her life.

She realised that Daniel was waiting for her to speak, and she offered him a weak smile in apology. She held out her hand and he took it, smiling warmly at her.

"Thank you, Daniel. I couldn't have done this without you. For a lawyer, you're pretty great."

He smirked.

"For a politician, you're not so bad yourself."

"I'm not technically a politician."

He shrugged, still smiling.

"Guilt by association."

As they filed out of the courtroom, Jenny caught sight of Ducky standing in the hallway, and she excused herself from Daniel for a moment. He wrapped her in a hug as soon as she was near enough and Jenny had to fight against the tears in her eyes.

"Congratulations, my dear. You did splendidly. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Ducky. For everything."

He kissed her cheek and Jenny smiled, walking back to Daniel.

"Are you ready for the reporters?"

Shaking her head, Jenny sighed.

"No, but there's no point in putting it off. I have a job to get back to. I've been away from my office long enough."

They neared her security detail and when they reached them, Agent Fredericks nodded his head.

"Ready, ma'am?"

She nodded, taking a deep breath. God, she hated reporters.

Jenny had been back in her office all of fifteen minutes when her intercom beeped and Cynthia's voice filled the room.

"Excuse me, Director. SecNav is on line one for you."

"Thank you, Cynthia."

She picked up her phone, already dreading the conversation, and sighed.

"Good afternoon, sir."

"Yes, I suppose it is a good afternoon for you. Congratulations, Jennifer."

"Thank you. Sir, I want to offer you my apologies. I know this case brought about a lot of bad press surrounding the agency, and I truly am sorry."

"Bad press is to be expected in cases like this. That is not, however, the reason for my call."

Jenny felt her heart race and she struggled to breathe.

"Sir?"

"I'm calling in regards to your relationship with Agent Gibbs."

Shit.

"There have been rumours surrounding the nature of your relationship for as long as I've known you, but I've always turned a blind eye to them due to your professional conduct. In light of recent events, I am no longer free to ignore such allegations."

Jenny had always known that this could potentially come back to haunt her, but she'd never really thought it would. Now, it seemed, she was wrong.

"Sir, are you firing me?"

"No, Jennifer. I am asking you to keep your personal life separate from the office. If you continue to conduct yourself in the manner you always have, I see no problems in the future."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jenny ran her hand through her hair.

"Thank you, sir. It won't be a problem."

"I suspect you're right. Have a good day, Jennifer. You've earned it."

Thanking him again, Jenny hung up the phone and placed her head on her desk. Though it had been a positive outcome, the day had certainly been one of the most stressful of her life. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into her bed and sleep, but she still had work to do. Standing, she made her way to MTAC, hoping she wouldn't fall asleep in the darkened room.

Even as he searched his crime scene for evidence, Gibbs found his thoughts were on Jenny. He hadn't seen her before she'd left for court, and he was dying to know how things had played out.

"Boss, I think that's everything. We'll get it back to Abby and see what she finds."

Nodding once, Gibbs climbed back into the van and as soon as the doors had shut, he slammed his foot down on the pedal. Tony yelped in protest and McGee held onto the door tightly. Ziva was the only one who seemed unaffected, but considering her own driving, it wasn't surprising. They made it back to the Navy Yard in record time, and when they all but fell out of the vehicle, Tony and McGee looked to Ziva incredulously.

"He might have driven worse than you today, Ziva."

'He is in a hurry," she replied.

McGee frowned.

"Why? What's the rush?"

"The Director," she said simply.

It clicked, and Tony nodded.

"I forgot. The verdict was today, wasn't it? I hope they nailed the bastard to the wall."

McGee shook his head.

"Not likely. He probably won't get more than a few years."

"Way to be optimistic, McNegative."

A glare was all Tony received in response.

Gibbs made his way purposefully toward the stairs as soon as he stepped from the elevator. As he neared Cynthia's desk, the younger woman stopped him with a smile.

"She isn't in, Agent Gibbs."

"Where?"

"MTAC."

He nodded, turning on his heel and walking toward the doors again. Scanning himself into MTAC, Gibbs searched the darkness for his favourite redhead and when he finally found her, he smiled. She was looking over a report on her lap, glasses perched on her nose, and the look of concentration on her face was somehow strangely endearing to him.

He approached her slowly and as he sat down next to her, she turned, taking off her glasses.

"Your case?"

"Dead petty officer found in the Anacostia. Abby's running the evidence now. Body is with Ducky."

She nodded.

"What about yours?" he asked quietly.

She didn't answer at first, and he was suddenly very worried.

"We got him, Jethro."

The warmth in her voice made him relax and he smiled. He didn't care that they were in MTAC, didn't care that at any moment one of the technicians could glance up and see them. He leaned over and kissed her cheek gently, smirking when she whirled around to glare at him.

"Jethro!"

He stood up, leaning down to her and his breath was warm on her skin.

"I love you, Jen."

Before she could truly comprehend what had happened, he was gone, leaving her staring at the space he had occupied.

Hours later, as Gibbs walked down to his basement, he sighed, running a hand over his face tiredly. Jenny had stayed in MTAC for the remainder of the day, and he pulled out his phone to call her. Just as he was about to press the button, the light above his work table clicked on, and he frowned.

"Hello, Jethro."

He smiled, looking at her appreciatively. Her legs were crossed gracefully as she sat on his work stool, her skirt just a little too high, and he tilted his head in response.

"Was just about to call you," he answered, holding up his phone.

She smiled and he reached around her to the bottle of bourbon he had replaced.

"Drink?"

Nodding, Jenny watched as he poured the amber liquid into the mason jar and as he handed it to her, he frowned. Something was different about her, and her quietness was unnerving to him. It wasn't like her to be so silent, and it was making him uncomfortable. She took the drink from his hand and as she tipped it back, he caught sight of the necklace she wore.

He remembered it well. A teardrop emerald inlaid in silver hung from a delicate chain surrounded by diamonds and he had forgotten about it until he'd seen it glittering at her throat. He reached out to touch it and she smiled at his fingers on her skin.

"You kept it all these years?"

Jenny nodded and took another drink of her bourbon. He turned to his boat, picking up a level, and as he started to work, he could feel her watching him. Occasionally, he would steal a glance at her and when he noticed her staring into the depths of her glass, he frowned. She was looking at the liquid as if it held all the answers to the universe, and yet her eyes were distant, as though she were looking through it.

"Jen?"

She blinked, bringing her eyes to his, and he frowned.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head, and he was suddenly very annoyed by her silence.

"Talk to me."

"You wouldn't understand," she whispered.

"Try me."

"I was in MTAC today, overseeing ops and holding conferences with my superiors. And none of them listened to me. That isn't really anything new, but what was new was the way they were looking at me. Nearly all of them are men, Jethro. And they all looked at me like there was something wrong with me. As if I was...tainted somehow. It made me feel disgusting. I felt so...useless. I don't like feeling that way."

He nodded and waited for her to continue.

"They treated me differently. As though I were unpredictable and unreliable. As though they were afraid to speak honestly. I felt so incompetent, and it's not a feeling I'm used to."

"You aren't incompetent, Jen. No one would ever use that word to describe you."

She laughed bitterly.

"Maybe, but that still didn't change the fact that they're reacting to me in a different way. This case, this trial...it's changed the way people see me."

He shook his head, looking at her seriously.

"It hasn't changed the way I see you."

She looked at him, her eyes so serious that it almost physically hurt him to look at them.

"Not like you to be so insecure, Jenny."

Having no response, Jenny simply shrugged, emptying her mason jar with one final drink. She shuddered as it hit her, and as she watched Gibbs work on his boat, she sighed softly.

"Jethro?"

He glanced over at her, and she hooked her finger at him, beckoning him to her.

"Come here."

Standing carefully, he brushed off the sawdust and made his way slowly over to her. When he reached her, her hands found his waist, pulling him closer and she crashed her lips into his. His fingers found the clip in her hair and pulled it free, letting her hair fall loose around her shoulders in fiery waves. His other hand trailed up her leg, pushing up the hem of her skirt, and she ran her hands up his chest.

Just as his lips found her throat, her head falling back, the sound of soft footsteps coming down the stairs, causing them both to jump apart. Ducky smiled as he stepped onto the last step and Jenny straightened her skirt, hoping he hadn't seen too much.

"Good evening, Jethro. Jennifer. I hope I'm not intruding."

Gibbs shook his head.

"Not at all, Duck. What brings you by?"

"Well, I simply wanted to check on Jennifer. I had a feeling that she would be here."

Jenny blushed slightly at the doctor's words, and he gave her a smile.

"How are you, my dear?"

"I've been better, Ducky."

He frowned.

"My dear, you've just won your court case. I would think that you would be ecstatic."

"I'm very relieved, but things are complicated, Ducky."

Ducky nodded and gestured to the steps.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Glancing over at Gibbs, Jenny nodded. Ducky's eyes met that of his friend and the former marine nodded at him. If the doctor could help Jenny, he would more than welcome it.

"What's bothering you?"

Jenny sighed, giving the doctor a look of exhaustion that spoke volumes.

"My superiors are treating me like a pariah. They're acting like I can't be trusted."

Ducky nodded.

"This has been a difficult situation for everyone involved, and—"

"They weren't involved, Ducky! They weren't the ones who were forced to relive being violently raped in a parking lot. They didn't have to see it every time they closed their eyes at night to sleep. They don't have to live with the fact that a stranger was literally inside their bodies without their permission!"

Jenny closed her eyes, turning away from him, and he looked at her sadly.

"Oh, Jennifer...my dear Jennifer.." he reached for her hand, holding it gently, "I am so very sorry."

Jenny furiously wiped away the tears she felt on her face and pulled her other hand from Ducky's, standing abruptly.

"Ducky, I appreciate what you're trying to do. But I think I need to be alone right now."

She swept out of the room and after a moment of deliberating, the doctor stood and made his way back down to the basement. Perhaps Gibbs would be a bit of help.

"Where's Jen?"

"I'm afraid I've made a mess of things, Jethro. She's upstairs."

"What happened?"

Ducky sighed, sitting down on the stool Jenny had previously occupied.

"I said the wrong thing and upset her. She said she needed to be alone, but you might want to go up."

Gibbs frowned, setting his sander down and picking up his mason jar. He took a slow drink and looked at the doctor thoughtfully.

"How do I help?"

"Well, from what I could gather, Jennifer is feeling very insecure about her position. I tried tell her that it had been a stressful situation for everyone involved and she grew quite upset. Said that they hadn't been involved at all."

Gibbs nodded.

"I'll see what I can do."

"I'll show myself out. Good night, Jethro. Give Jennifer my sincerest apologies."

"Will do."

As his front door closed, Gibbs made his way upstairs, pausing in the doorway to his bedroom. Jenny was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head in her hands, and when she brushed her hair back angrily, he could see how badly she was shaking. He slowly approached her, not wanting to startle her, and when he stopped in front of her, he looked down sadly.

"You okay?"

She shook her head, her hair shielding her face from view.

"Ducky said to tell you that he's sorry. He didn't mean to upset you."

"He didn't. I was already upset."

He nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"How can I help, Jen?"

She was silent for a moment, and when she spoke, her voice held a note of desperation he hadn't heard in quite awhile.

"Kiss me."

He immediately did as she asked, his lips meeting hers in a deep kiss, and her hands were at his waist in an instant. She pulled him closer and there was an urgency in her movements, as if she were afraid he would vanish at any moment. As his fingers found the buttons on her blouse, she paused, pulling away from him.

"Wait."

He frowned and she gestured to the lamp on the table.

"Turn off the light."

"Why?"

"Please, Jethro."

Nodding, he switched it off and in his mind, it clicked that something wasn't quite right with her. She had never cared about him seeing her body before, and he couldn't understand why it was so important to her now. He kissed her again and as his tongue swept into her mouth, he noticed another change. In addition to the smoky bourbon, she tasted insecure.

He pushed her back onto the bed and when she immediately flipped them, he frowned. He could hardly see her in the darkness and as her lips found his throat, he gripped her hips tightly. He felt her hair as it swept over him and the sweet scent of her perfume surrounded him as she trailed her hands down his body.

"Jen..."

"Shh..."

Her tongue flicked against his ear and he jerked under her. Slowly, she moved down his chest, her hands pulling his shirt off and she pinned his hands above his head.

"No touching."

"You serious?"

She nodded, and he frowned.

"Come on, Jen. You really expect me to not touch you?"

"What's the matter? Can't handle it?"

Her voice was low in his ear and he shivered. Damn. Her voice did things to him that shouldn't be legal. She pulled his jeans and boxers off together, and as her skirt joined them in the pile, she smirked. Lace underwear followed and as she carefully lowered herself onto him, his hand twitched. She noticed this and shook her head.

"Don't even think about it."

She moved slowly at first, her lips meeting his in a kiss that left his head spinning, and he gripped the sheets, his hands aching to touch her.

"Jen, this isn't fair."

Ignoring him, she continued to move, kissing his throat, sucking the skin between her teeth. He moaned and as she bit down gently on his shoulder, he cursed under his breath. Her hips rocked against his, faster now, and he knew he wouldn't last long.

"Jenny.."

"Hm?"

"Don't stop."

"Wasn't going to."

As his world exploded behind his closed eyes, he just barely had enough awareness to feel Jenny shatter above him. She whispered his name and as she collapsed against his chest, he kissed her hair lightly.

"Can I touch you now?"

She nodded and he wrapped his arms around her. She placed a breathless kiss to his chest and he smiled as she moved to lay next to him.

"Jethro?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. I used you, and I shouldn't have."

He frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought...I thought that by being with you...that way...I thought it would make me feel better."

"Didn't?"

She shook her head, raising up to look at his eyes, bright even in the darkness.

"That why you wouldn't let me touch you?"

Nodding, she reached out to touch his face gently.

"I thought maybe if I had complete control...I'm sorry, Jethro."

He shook his head, pulling her closer, and he smiled.

"Don't be."

Jenny was silent for a long time, and after awhile, Gibbs figured she had fallen asleep. He kissed her hair and she smiled.

"Believe it or not, Jenny, I understand what you're going through. When I lost Shannon and Kelly, I'd never felt more out of control in my life. Seemed like no matter what I did, nothing mattered anymore."

"What did you do to fix it?"

"I set smaller goals for myself. Finishing a project. Things I knew I could do."

She frowned, glancing up at him.

"What if even breathing seems like too much?"

He shifted her in his arms so that he could get a better look at her and reached out to touch her face gently.

"Jen, at the end of the day, even if all you did was breathe, that's enough. You survived. You proved that you're still in control. Even if the odds say you should have given up, you made the choice to be alive."

Jenny was silent as she considered his words and his quiet voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"I was wrong earlier. This case has changed the way I see you. I see you as so much stronger than you've ever been. You can take on anything, Jen. You can get through this. It won't always be easy, but I'll be there to help you if you let me."

"You really mean that?"

He nodded, kissing her softly.

"Every word."

As Gibbs and Jenny exited the elevator, Jenny could feel the eyes of her employees following her through the room. Their whispers were low enough that she couldn't hear the words, but she didn't need to. She knew they were whispering about her relationship with Gibbs. Now that they'd been outed, Jenny knew that the rumours would spread much more rapidly, but it still stung.

"How much you want to bet they've had sex on her desk?'

Jenny frowned. She didn't know who had spoken, but the words were clear enough. She stopped, turning on her heel and glared around the room.

"Does anyone have anything they wish to say to me directly?"

Nearly every set of eyes darted away from her, but Jenny knew the fight wasn't over. As she walked up the steps to the catwalk, she felt a specific pair of eyes on her and she turned. Gibbs met her gaze steadily, and at his encouraging nod, she smiled.. This was going to be interesting.

"I can't believe they're sleeping together. She's our boss."

"Wonder what she's like in bed."

"Hey! Can everyone shut up?" Tony DiNozzo's voice cut through the murmuring, loud and authoritative, "You all act like this is big news. Peterson, you bet me twenty dollars that they'd end up sleeping together by the end of her first month here. Johnson, you lost five to me when you bet me that he wouldn't bring her coffee after an all-nighter because he doesn't do things like that. Get over it! Director Shepard's done more for this agency in two years than Morrow did in five. And Gibbs has solved more cases than every other department in the building. They deserve to be happy and if they can find that together, it's none of our damn business!"

Though he didn't realise it, Tony's entire rant had been overheard by Director Shepard as she'd stood just inside the doorway to Cynthia's outer office. The smile that spread across her face was brilliant and she shook her head as she walked into her own office. Gibbs smacked the back of Tony's head lightly as he passed and gave him a glare.

"Get back to work, DiNozzo."

He jerked his head in the direction of the elevator and as the Senior Field Agent followed him, he frowned, hoping he wasn't about to regret standing up for his boss.

"Director wants to see you in her office," Gibbs said as soon as the doors closed.

"Boss, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all that, but—"

"Don't apologise. Sign of weakness."

Tony nodded, his eyes on the floor.

"Besides, never apologise for doing the right thing."

As the doors opened, Tony stared at Gibbs for a few seconds before stepping off, wondering if the Director knew what had just taken place.

Knocking lightly, Tony waited until he heard Jenny grant him permission before entering, and as she gestured for him to sit, he frowned.

"You wanted to see me, ma'am?"

"That was quite a speech, Tony."

"You heard that?"

She nodded, smiling at the younger man.

"I did. And I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"Yes. You've been nothing but supportive throughout this entire trial, both to myself and Gibbs, and I want you to know that I greatly appreciate it. You're a good agent, Tony. And an even better man."

Tony was unsure of how to respond to her words of praise, so he opted to stay silent. Jenny smiled at him as he started to leave, and her next words made him smile.

"Don't let Jethro push you around. I'll deal with him."

"Thank you, ma'am."

As Gibbs let himself in Jenny's house with her spare key, he frowned at the chaos of her living room. Her Christmas tree had been knocked over and shattered glass ornaments glittered on the floor. It took his eyes a few seconds to register her sitting in the middle of the destruction and when it finally clicked, he made his way carefully over to her.

"Jen? What happened?"

"He got two years, Jethro."

Gibbs frowned, looking down at her.

"What?"

"Harrison. He got two years. Daniel Way just called me."

"Okay," he replied cautiously, "so what happened to your tree?"

She smiled sadly.

"I may or may not have punched the tree."

Jenny held up her hand and he noticed the pieces of glass embedded in the pale skin. Tiny droplets of blood decorated her flesh and he sighed.

"I was taking it down anyway, and I just...it made me so angry."

"Jen...it'll be okay."

"Don't say that. You and I both know that he'll be out in less than a year. What if he comes after me?"

Gibbs shook his head.

"He won't. And if he does, I'll kill him. He's never going to hurt you again. I promise."

Gibbs gently lifted her from the wreckage of shattered glass and he was relieved to find that their ornament had been spared. She would have been devastated if it had been broken. As he led her into the kitchen to clean her hand, he couldn't stop his thoughts from racing. He hadn't been foolish enough to believe that Jenny would immediately heal from this, but her reaction still surprised him. It reminded him that they still had quite a long way to go before she was recovered. Still, he knew that though she would heal, she would never be the same. None of them would.

A/N: Hope you like it.

Fun fact: Daniel Way (Jenny's lawyer) was based on Daniel Kaffe (from "A Few Good Men") and his last name comes from Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance and writer of "Umbrella Academy". In case anyone was curious (you probably weren't, but oh well).