A/N: In which we encounter a power outage, and Gibbs wants revenge. Hope you enjoy this one!

Tossing back the pills in her hand, Jenny tried desperately to ignore the shaking of her fingers. She knew Gibbs would kill her if he knew what she was doing, but she was losing her mind. Her nightmares had gotten steadily worse, in spite of the sleeping pills Ducky had given her, and so she was trying another tactic. Caffeine pills helped her stay awake when she wasn't near a coffee supply, and they were much easier for her to obtain.

She walked down the stairs, hoping maybe she had work to occupy her mind in her study, and as she realised her desk was bare, she frowned. Deciding to browse through the books on the shelf, she poured herself a tumbler of bourbon and pulled one down. She hadn't truly looked at any of these books since her father had died, and as she opened it, she smiled sadly as she looked at the bookmark her father had used.

She'd made it herself when she'd been around six, if memory served her, and she hadn't realised he still kept it. It had been made from pressed flowers that she'd gotten from the schoolyard, and in her child's handwriting, she'd scrawled the words "Happy Father's Day, Daddy! Love, Jenny" in purple crayon. Pulling it from the pages, she ran her fingertips lightly over the laminated paper and smiled as she remembered how proud she'd been to give it to him.

Jenny placed it back where she'd found it, and returned the book to the shelf, raising her eyes to the ceiling.

"I love you, Dad," she whispered.

As much as she wished to hear one, there was no answer to her words in the silence.

Gibbs smirked as Jenny stepped onto the elevator, a determined look on her face.

"Fancy meeting you here, Director."

Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Don't be cute, Jethro."

"Everything okay?"

She nodded.

"Just had a budget meeting. I hate having to kiss politician ass."

"As opposed to regular ass?"

She smacked his arm lightly, and he winked at her. As the elevator powered down, Jenny looked over at him, slightly annoyed and sighed.

"I'm surprised this elevator still works with as often as you do that."

Gibbs frowned.

"Wasn't me."

"What?"

"I didn't do that."

She glared at him, and he held up his hands.

"I swear. I didn't touch it."

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, frowning.

"Yeah. Gibbs."

"Boss, we have a problem."

"Yeah?"

"Electricity is out and no one can find Director Shepard. Cynthia's freaking out."

Smirking, Gibbs glanced over at the redhead standing next to him.

"She's fine. She's with me."

"Where are you, boss?"

"Elevator."

Tony whistled and Gibbs fought the urge to laugh.

"We're working on getting it fixed. Don't know what could have caused it."

"Work fast, DiNozzo."

He hung up and Jenny looked at him curiously.

"Well?"

"Power's out. Cynthia was worried when she couldn't find you."

"So we're stuck in here...great."

He raised his eyebrow suggestively and she shook her head.

"Get your mind out of the bedroom, Jethro."

Gibbs kissed her hair and as he looked at her, he noticed how violently she was shaking. He frowned and she began pacing around the small space, her mind racing.

"Jenny?"

"What?"

"You okay?"

She nodded, but there was something behind her eyes that made him suspicious. It wasn't like her to be claustrophobic, and he couldn't place what else could be making her so jittery.

"This isn't exactly how I pictured this day going."

He smirked as she stopped walking and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"If you want, I could tell you how I pictured this day going," he murmured in her ear.

She smiled, arching an eyebrow at him and he flashed her a grin.

"Let's see...there's a boat..."

"Shocker," Jenny whispered sarcastically.

"Hush."

When he was sure she wouldn't interrupt, he nodded, starting again.

"As I said, there's a boat, a full bottle of bourbon, you, and me. Your hair is down, you're up against the wood of the boat, hands in my hair..."

"Stop," she said softly, placing her hand over his mouth, "I don't need the preview."

She brought her lips to his and his fingers immediately pulled her hair loose from its ponytail. It tumbled around her shoulders, engulfing him in the sweet scent of her perfume, and her head tipped back as she gasped. Realising where they were, Jenny stopped him just as he began lifting her shirt to kiss her stomach and he frowned.

"We can't. Not here."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

She shook her head.

"Not that."

Suddenly, he understood. She'd figured out what he'd been planning to do, and he smirked, straightening up.

"Couldn't handle it, Jen?"

'Shut up."

An idea came to him and he kissed her again. Though she initially tried to push him away, the moment his tongue swept into her mouth, she knew it was useless. His hand found the waistband of her dress pants and as he slid the zipper down, her hand grabbed his wrist.

"Jethro..."

"Jenny."

Looking into his eyes, she nodded and his lips found her throat. He slipped his hand past the thin lace underwear she wore and as he touched her, she bit down on her lip. It didn't take long for her to break and her hands were tight on his shoulders as he covered her mouth with his own to muffle her moan. As she straightened her clothes, he smirked at her, running his hand through her hair.

"Not bad for an old man, huh, Jen?"

Remembering her words from a few nights ago, she laughed.

"Very funny."

Pulling out his phone, Gibbs quickly dialed DiNozzo, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for an answer.

"DiNozzo."

"Why am I still stuck in the elevator?"

"Boss, they're still trying to get the power up. You and the Director okay?"

"Yeah, but this isn't the most ideal way to spend an afternoon."

He hung up, and Jenny slid down the wall of the lift, crossing her arms over her knees. Gibbs joined her seconds later and her head fell onto his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I ruined your plan," she said, laughter evident in her voice.

He shrugged.

"I'll be happy to demonstrate later. Why did you stop me, Jen? You're not that prude."

Jenny looked at him seriously, shaking her head, willing him to understand.

"It isn't that. It wasn't you. It's me. I can't...I wouldn't have been able to be quiet enough if you'd done that. Your mouth does things to me that I can't handle."

He smirked, kissing her hair again.

"Your hands are pretty incredible, too," she said softly.

Jenny sighed, pulling out the caffeine pills from her jacket pocket and as she placed one in her mouth, Gibbs frowned.

"Planning on sleeping, Jen?"

She frowned, unsure of what he meant, and then suddenly it clicked.

"These aren't sleeping pills, Jethro."

"What are they?"

"Caffeine. Keeps me awake."

"Jen."

She glared at him and he met her eyes evenly, not willing to back down. She sighed as she lowered her gaze to the floor.

"Don't, Jethro. I can't sleep."

"Nightmares?"

She nodded and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He straightened his legs as much as the small space would allow and he pulled her to him, positioning her so that her head rested on his thighs. She draped her arm across his legs and his hand stroked her hair gently.

"Just remember, Jenny. They're just dreams. It's not real."

She nodded, and though she wanted to sleep, she knew she couldn't. Her body was buzzing with caffeine and even as he held her, Gibbs could feel her trembling.

"Don't take them anymore."

She didn't give any indication that she'd heard him, and he kept stroking her hair, deciding to try the one thing he was sure would get through to her.

"Please."

Turning slightly so that she could see him, she raised her shaking hand to touch his face gently.

"I can't, Jethro."

He started to protest, and she shook her head, cutting him off.

"You don't know what it's like. You don't know what it felt like. What it still feels like. I can still feel him when I close my eyes. I've never been that scared, except when—"

She stopped and he frowned, looking down at her seriously.

"When what?"

"When you were shot in Positano or when you were in that coma."

He frowned. His memory was fuzzy surrounding those injuries, but he hadn't stopped to consider how they had affected her.

"I'm sorry, Jen. You're right, I don't know what you're going through, but I'm more than willing to listen if you ever want to talk."

She offered him a weak smile and he returned it, tightening his hold on her.

"For the record, I know what it's like to be scared, though."

"Jethro, nothing scares you," she said quietly.

"Do you remember when you took that round to the thigh, Jen? Or better yet, the night you were laying on my porch covered in blood? I was terrified then."

Jenny frowned, looking at him seriously.

"Really?"

"Jen, you have no idea how bad my hands were shaking when I cut that bullet out of your leg. I was so worried that I was going to make it worse. Or the night Harrison attacked you—"

"Raped," she corrected softly, "He raped me."

Gibbs nodded.

"Right. The night he raped you...we weren't even officially together anymore, but I was scared to death when I saw you on my porch. Before I touched you, before I knew you were breathing, I thought I'd lost you. You scared the hell out of me, Jenny."

She sighed, shifting slightly in his lap.

"I didn't mean to."

He shook his head, smiling down at her.

"It's okay."

They sat in silence for a few minutes and Jenny groaned, raking her fingers through her hair. Gibbs laughed and she ran her hand up and down his leg gently.

"How long have we been in here, Jethro?"

He frowned, glancing at his watch.

"Little over an hour."

She nodded, her hand still moving over his leg and suddenly she had a brilliant idea.

"Jethro..."

"Hm?"

"I just had a great idea."

Jenny's hand moved back and forth, and she raised up to kiss his throat slowly, her tongue trailing down his skin. Her fingers found the buckle of his belt and as she slowly slid the zipper down, he frowned.

"Jen?"

"Hush."

Any protests he had instantly disappeared from his mind when she wrapped her lips around him, and his hips jerked up automatically. She moved her right hand over him, moving in time to her mouth, while her left hand stroked his leg slowly. His hand went to her hair, grabbing the long red strands tightly, and he bit down on his lip hard enough to hurt. She swirled her tongue around the tip of his head, trying not to smile as his grip in her hair tightened. Her movements increased in speed and his hips moved upwards as he tried not to thrust into her mouth. He whispered her name as she took him in fully, fighting to keep his eyes open. His vision went white and she grabbed his hand, placing it at her throat so that he could feel her swallow.

"Jen..."

She gave him a wicked smirk as she raised up to kiss his lips and he smiled.

"What was that for?"

"Fair trade."

He laughed and she pulled out her phone, calling Cynthia. The young woman answered on the second ring, and Jenny fought to keep the exasperation from her voice.

"Do we have any update?"

"Should be about five minutes, Director."

"Thank you, Cynthia."

She hung up, looking at Gibbs as she swept her hair back up into a ponytail.

"Five, give or take."

He nodded, pulling her closer as they waited. She nestled into his chest and he placed a light kiss to her temple.

"Jethro, I just wanted to say thank you. For everything."

As the elevator flickered to life, Jenny smiled. Gibbs stood, holding out his hand to help her, and as he pulled her to her feet, he flashed his trademark smirk.

"You're welcome."

After checking to make sure all of their clothing was in order, they faced the door, and as they slid open, Gibbs stepped out. Jenny followed and he immediately began speaking, his voice harsh.

"DiNozzo! What the hell happened?"

"Power went out in the entire area. Not just us. You guys okay?"

The team leader nodded, and Jenny walked up the steps to the catwalk, deliberately silent. She could feel the eyes of his team watching her, but as she walked into her office, she tossed her hair over her shoulder.

Jenny swore under her breath as she got out of her car and made her way up to her house. Graffiti covered her front door, various insults and profane words glaring at her and she pulled out her phone, calling Gibbs.

"Yeah. Gibbs."

"Jethro, how well does that security system work?"

"Ziva said it was secure. Why?"

"My front door is completely destroyed."

"Where are you?"

"Outside."

"Stay where you are, Jen. I'll be right there."

"Hurry."

She hung up and sat down on her front porch, placing her head in her hands. As she heard the screech of tires twenty minutes later, she didn't move, but as the shadow fell over her, she frowned.

"Jen?"

The redhead glanced up, and when she saw the blue eyes of her favourite former marine, she smiled.

"Hey."

He looked behind her to the door and sat down next to her, placing his hand on her knee. She stayed where she was, and he stood, examining the oak behind them. He already knew who was behind it, and he was beyond furious that his warning had gone unheeded. Holding out his hand, he pulled Jenny up and as he held her in his arms, he sighed.

"I'll take care of this," he said against her hair.

She nodded and he led her to his truck, helping her into the cab. As he pulled away from her house, he looked at her, hoping she hadn't been too upset by the ordeal.

"Jethro?"

Her voice was quiet and he glanced at her as he drove.

"Hm?"

"Is this ever going to end?"

He looked at her seriously, pulling his truck off to the side of the road. He parked it, and she turned to him, confused.

"Jethro, what—"

"This is going to end soon. One way or another. I'm going to keep you safe. I promise."

He reached over, touching the side of her face gently.

"Don't worry."

Placing the truck in gear again, he began driving the short distance to his house. As he led her inside, he closed the door and locked it, smirking slightly at her shocked expression.

"Since when do you lock your door?"

"Habit."

"Habit? Jethro, you've never locked your door in all the years I've known you."

"Started to with you."

His words touched her and she reached up to run her fingers through his hair.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Jen."

Jenny knew, without a shadow of doubt, that she was drunk. She'd been tossing back drink after drink for hours trying to forget that a stranger had damaged her house and destroyed any semblance of safety she'd thought she had. Gibbs had been watching her all night, keeping track of her drinks, and by his count, she'd had six glasses of bourbon. He honestly had no idea how she was still standing.

"Jen, maybe you should take a break."

She glared at him, but it lacked her usual conviction. He made his way closer, pulling the mason jar from her hand, and when he set it under his boat, she frowned, sitting down and crossing her arms angrily.

"Give it back."

He shook his head.

"Jethro, I'm serious."

"So am I. You want it back, go get it. If you can make it there and back without stumbling, I'll keep my mouth shut."

Jenny glared at him again, standing up from her position on her stool and as she swayed on her feet, he smirked.

"You're drunk, Jen. Enough."

Deciding he was probably right, the redhead nodded, sinking back down onto the chair. He picked up her abandoned mason jar and took a long drink, emptying it quickly. He stared at her for a moment, trying to decipher the look in her eyes, and as he spoke, his voice was quiet.

"What's going on, Jenny?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You. Pills. Getting so drunk that it's scary."

She frowned and ran her hand through her hair.

"I'm scared, Jethro. I always expected these situations when I was an agent. I knew it was always a possibility. I'm not out in the field anymore. I have security guards, a driver, at this point I would be surprised if I didn't have a goddamned tracking device in my head. This shouldn't have happened."

He nodded, crossing the room to her, and wrapped her in his arms, holding her close to his chest. He could feel her tears dampening his shirt, but he didn't mind.

"I'll keep you safe, Jen."

She inhaled deeply, trying to get her tears in check and when she finally looked up at him, he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Jethro?"

He tilted his head in answer and she smiled.

"Can we go to bed?"

He nodded, leading her carefully to the stairs. As he pulled her against him in the bed, she turned in his arms, tucking her head under his chin. It was so reminiscent of Paris that he smiled, kissing her hair. Her fingers curled around his shirt and as she slept, he made a promise to keep her safe, no matter the cost.

As she sat in her study reading over reports, Jenny sighed, rubbing her temple slowly. She knew she needed sleep, but the thought of her nightmares returning was enough to make her avoid it. She'd been awake for forty-six hours by this point, and as she laid her head down on her arms, she mentally kicked herself for being so stupid.

The shattering of glass wasn't enough to wake her twenty minutes later, but as she struggled to pull air into her lungs, her eyes flew open, burning instantly. Black smoke, thick and hot, blinded her and burned her chest as she took a breath. She immediately began coughing and as she attempted to find her way to the door, her fingers closed around her phone.

She found the door of her study, collapsing against it, and tried to stop coughing long enough to call for the fire department, but the smoke was so heavy that she couldn't see her screen. The curtains hanging from her front windows were ablaze and as she sank to her knees, she dimly wondered if this was what hell would be like.

Jenny could hear a voice now, and as she opened her eyes, she found herself facing her neighbour from across the street. She tried to remember his name, but her mind refused to cooperate. He held out his hand and she took it, still coughing and as he pulled her through the front door, she immediately began taking deep breaths of clean air.

"Are you alright, Jenny?"

She nodded, unable to speak and he led her farther away from her house, wanting to put as much distance between them and the blaze as possible.

"I was checking the mail and I heard glass breaking. Few seconds later, I saw the fire. I called the fire department, hopefully they can save some of it."

She looked at the older man, and finally she remembered his name.

"Thanks, Nathan," she said weakly, "I owe you one."

He shook his head.

"Don't mention it. Besides, I don't think the Colonel would have ever forgiven me if I'd let anything happen to you."

She smiled, remembering now that he had been good friends with her father. Glancing down at her phone, she dialed the familiar number with shaking hands and as she waited, she could hear the sirens quickly approaching.

"Yeah. Gibbs."

"Jethro..." she immediately began coughing again, and paused, "I have a bit of a problem."

"What is it? Jen, are those sirens?"

"Yeah. Someone tried to burn my house down."

He didn't answer, and she tried to stop coughing long enough to explain.

"It looks like I might need a place to crash for awhile."

There was still no response, and she frowned.

"Jethro?"

It wasn't until she looked down at her phone that she realised he had hung up.

As she was being examined by the paramedics, she heard the screeching of tires coming to a stop and smirked. She knew exactly who had just arrived and as he approached her, she gave him a weak smile.

"Jen. You okay?"

She nodded, though every breath felt like her chest was on fire.

"What happened?"

Jenny began to recount the events, now for the second time that day, and as she finished, they were joined by the officer who had arrived shortly after the fire department.

"Director Shepard, it looks like the blaze was mainly in the front hall near the stairs. There was some damage to the living room, but we managed to get it under control before it caught in the rest of the house. Should be fairly simple to repair, but it will take time. Do you have somewhere you can stay until then?"

Jenny nodded, and Gibbs looked at him seriously.

"What caused it?"

The officer looked at him and Gibbs flashed his badge. Nodding, the officer continued.

"Looks like good old-fashioned gasoline, Agent Gibbs. Glass bottle, soaked cloth, lit, tossed into a mostly wooden structure. Molotov cocktail."

"So, this was arson?"

He nodded.

"Going by both the reports of Director Shepard and her neighbour Nathan Crain, combined with the evidence we found, yes. We're opening an investigation to track down the person responsible."

Gibbs nodded, gesturing for the officer to step away. As they began speaking in lowered voices, Jenny turned to Nathan, giving her best smile.

"Seriously, Nathan. Thank you."

He hugged her gently, and smiled.

"Anytime, Jenny. Take care."

Jenny was left with her thoughts as Gibbs finished speaking to the officer and when he returned, he held out his hand.

"Come on. You're staying with me."

He helped her into the truck and as he drove, he pulled out his phone.

"Hello?"

"Ducky, got a minute?"

"Well, I was just sitting down to dinner, but—"

"Someone set Jenny's house on fire."

"Oh my goodness, is Jennifer alright? Was she hurt?"

"That's what I need you for. Think you could come by and check?"

"Absolutely. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Jenny glared at him from the passenger seat and he frowned.

"Jethro, I'm fine."

Her lungs chose that particular moment to betray her and as she coughed again, he raised an eyebrow at her. Knowing she would never win this battle, she simply frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and staring out the window. How had her night ended up in such chaos?

After being given the all-clear by Ducky, Jenny sat watching her favourite silver-haired agent sanding his boat and as he worked, he glanced at her.

"You're safe here."

She scoffed, still feeling dizzy. She would never tell him that she'd nearly passed out on the ride to his house. If there was one thing Jenny Shepard hated, it was looking weak.

"I feel like we've had this conversation before," she said softly.

He nodded, and set his sander down.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep?"

She sighed, and instantly regretted it. Harsh coughs tore through her body and he stood, making his way over to her slowly.

"For me?"

Though she wanted to protest, her body was screaming for sleep, and she nodded.

"Fine."

As she stood, a wave of dizziness washed over her and Gibbs instinctively reached out, catching her just before she hit the ground. Ignoring her weak protests, he lifted her into his arms and carried her up the stairs, kicking the basement door shut.

Placing her on the bed, he leaned down to kiss her gently, and when he tried to leave, Jenny's hand shot out to grab his.

"Stay."

Considering her for a moment, he finally nodded, and as she curled her body into his, he wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could.

"I love you," she whispered into his chest.

He kissed her forehead gently, letting his lips linger for a long moment, and he ran his fingers through her fiery hair.

"I love you, Jen. And nothing is ever going to stop me from keeping you safe."

As Jenny's even breathing filled the room, Gibbs found his thoughts returning to Jonathan Harrison. Though he'd given the officer the younger man's name and description, Gibbs almost hoped they wouldn't find him. He had threatened the one living person Gibbs loved more than life itself and he wanted nothing more than to break the bastard's neck. He wanted to see the younger man face punishment for what he'd done, and no court of law was good enough for what Gibbs had in mind.

A/N: Just wanted to thank each and every one of my wonderful reviewers! You guys are what keeps me going, even when I don't really feel like writing. I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter.