A/N: To all my lovely reviewers, let me say how much I love you! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me be very clear about something, however: this is NOT going to be a baby-fic. I don't like reading them, I don't like writing them, it's not going to happen. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but it isn't going to change my mind. I hope you'll stick around regardless. Okay, let's do this!

Jenny sighed as she finished her fifth drink that night, and she pulled out her phone, scrolling through her contacts in a daze. She'd been dwelling over Gibbs' words for the past few days and she was beginning to worry. He'd mentioned marriage to her more than once in the last six months and she couldn't help but wonder if he was secretly hoping she would decide to wear the ring. She knew his penchant for marriage, and she wasn't sure she could handle being another one of his ex-wives.

Her finger hovered over Gibbs' name, and she quickly scrolled upwards, not sure she was ready to dive into that particular conversation with him. She pressed another name, holding her phone to her ear and she sighed as it rang.

"Hello?"

"Ducky, it's Jenny. Are you busy?"

"Not at all, my dear. How can I help you?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Have you ever wanted to get married?"

He was silent for a long moment and she frowned, wondering if she should have kept her mouth shut.

"What brought this on, Jennifer?"

"Jethro gave me the ring we wore in Paris and told me that if I wanted to marry him, I could start wearing it. He keeps his on the bedside table."

"And you're wondering if you should wear it."

She nodded, forgetting in her intoxication that he couldn't see her.

"Yeah. I've been thinking about it. Marriage is such a big step. It changes everything."

"If I may, Jennifer, let me ask you this: do you love Jethro?"

"More than anything."

"And do you see yourself ever being with anyone else?"

"No. I don't ever want to lose him."

"Then I think you have your answer, my dear."

Jenny sighed. The alcohol she had consumed was making it difficult for her to think, and she frowned.

"Ducky, what if—what if we did get married and it didn't work out? He's been divorced three times."

He laughed.

"I'm well aware of Jethro's track record. Can I tell you what I see as an outside observer?"

"Sure."

"When I look at the two of you, I see two people who drive each other crazy, in the best way. Your relationship is tumultuous at times, but you make each other deliriously happy. You call each other out when you're wrong and you're fiercely supportive when you're right. You're miserable when you're apart, and I think everyone would agree. You challenge each other and bring out the best in both of you. Simply put, you're good for one another, and I think your love for each other is something that shouldn't be easily let go of."

Jenny's eyes filled with tears and she had to fight to keep her voice steady.

"You mean that?"

"Every word. Just remember, Jennifer: he loves you and you love him. I trust you'll make the right decision."

"Thanks, Ducky. I really appreciate it."

"Good luck, my dear."

She hung up after saying good night and stared at the phone in her hands, debating yet again on whether to make a call. She knew she probably wouldn't have done it if she'd been sober, but perhaps it was what she needed. Her finger pressed the button before she could change her mind, and she held her breath as it rang.

"Hello?"

"Heather?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

She took a deep breath, hoping to steady her shaking hands.

"It's Jenny."

"Oh, wow. Jenny. Um...how-how are you?"

"I'm good, how are you?"

"I'm good."

There was a long silence, and Jenny suddenly wished she hadn't called.

"Why did you call, Jenny? Is something going on?"

"No, I just—I was thinking about you the other day, and I wanted to know if you were okay."

"I'm fine."

Jenny heard a slight shuffling on the other end of the line, and she frowned.

"Jenny, I'm sorry, but I really can't talk right now."

"Wait. Just a minute. Would you be willing to meet up tomorrow? I really want to talk to you."

"I don't know, I mean, we haven't spoken in ten years. Why now?"

"Please? I'll explain everything if you just give me the chance."

Heather sighed, and Jenny unconsciously gripped the phone tighter.

"Okay, fine. I'm free around 11:30 tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good. Thank you, Heather."

"Sure, Jenny. See you tomorrow."

As her phone fell from her hand and clattered to the floor, Jenny placed her head in her hands. She wanted to be held, wanted Gibbs more than anything, but she knew she had to deal with this on her own. Still, she tried to pretend, as she curled up on her couch, that she was wrapped in his arms instead of a blanket.

Gibbs stopped Jenny as she paced in her living room with gentle hands on her shoulders. He looked at her seriously, and she glanced around the room.

"It'll be fine, Jen. Don't worry. It's just your sister."

She nodded, trying to convince herself that he was right, and when she heard the knock at the door, she bit down on her lip.

"Jethro, what do I say to her?"

"Just tell her how you feel. I'll be upstairs if you need me."

He kissed her once, and pushed her gently to the door. Just as she heard her bedroom door shut, she pulled open the large oak door, smiling nervously at the younger woman standing on the other side.

"Hey."

"Hi."

She stepped back to let her in, and they walked into the living room, the younger Shepard glancing around curiously.

"You didn't change much. Decoration-wise, I mean."

Jenny nodded.

"Every time I tried, I could hear Dad. "Jennifer, that rug doesn't work in this room"...I couldn't do it."

Heather smiled, nodding slowly.

"Yeah. Sounds like something he'd say."

They sat down on the couch and lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. After a few agonising minutes, Heather sighed, looking at her sister in confusion.

"Jenny, what's this about? I haven't heard from you in ten years and all of the sudden, you call me and want to...what? Reminisce about old times?"

Jenny shook her head.

"Not exactly. Look, I know after Dad died, we went our separate ways, but—"

"No, you ran back to college and shut everyone out. You wouldn't talk to anyone, and eventually we just gave up. Me, all of our friends...you didn't even want to give us a chance. It hurt, Jenny. I was grieving, I'd just lost my father, and then when you left...I lost my sister, too. I needed you, and you couldn't look past your own pain to see that other people were hurting just as much."

Jenny had been silent during Heather's outburst, and when she had finished, the elder Shepard nodded. She knew her sister was right, but she didn't particularly like being called out on it.

"You're right, Heather. You had—have—every right to be angry with me, but...I really am sorry."

Heather nodded, looking at her seriously, and when she spoke next, her voice was softer.

"Jenny...is this about what happened to you last year?"

Jenny frowned.

"How do you know about that?"

"I do watch the news," Heather said pointedly, "It was on nearly every channel."

Running her hand through her hair, Jenny shook her head, sighing.

"Not exactly. In a way, but not really. Someone very close to me recently reconnected with their family and it made me realise how much I missed you. Hell, you're my sister, Heather. I was young and stupid back then, and while that's not an excuse, I guess I didn't stop to think about how much pain you were in. I should have, and I can never say that I'm sorry enough."

Heather looked at her for a moment, and when she reached out to hug her, Jenny felt tears begin to well up in her eyes.

"I've missed you too, Jenny."

Holding her sister tightly, Jenny kissed the side of her head and when she pulled back, she saw tears shining in Heather's own eyes.

"I, um...I heard you got married," Jenny said, offering her a smile.

"Yeah. I did. His name is David. We have a little girl. She's six."

Jenny gasped, looking at her happily.

"You have—I have a niece?"

Heather nodded.

"Her name is Victoria, but we call her Tori."

"Do you have any pictures?"

Giving her a sarcastic look, Heather pulled out her wallet, and handed the photos over. Jenny gazed at them in awe, feeling slightly sad that she'd missed out on so much of her sister's life, and she handed them back with a sad smile.

"Can I meet her?"

Nodding, Heather gave Jenny the smile she had missed for ten years, and hugged her again.

"Of course you can. You have to be the cool aunt who buys all the good presents."

Laughing, Jenny glanced around the room, feeling as though she were being watched. Knowing that Gibbs was lurking somewhere made her feel relieved and she smiled.

"So, Jenny...about what happened to you...was it true? I mean, I don't think you'd lie about something like that, but—"

"It's true."

"Were you scared?"

"Terrified."

"What about...the other part? Are you really sleeping with one of your employees?"

Jenny smirked.

"To be fair, he was my boss first."

"Wait, what?"

Jenny laughed.

"Do you want a drink? I'll tell you all about it."

Heather shook her head.

"No, thanks."

As Jenny began to dive into the complex history of her relationship with Gibbs, she felt rather than heard him retreat to her bedroom and she fought the urge to laugh. No doubt he had no interest in hearing her rehash the last seven years of their life. Heather listened with rapt attention, her eyes widening as she realised her older sister had lived a life that she could have only imagined. When Jenny finally stopped speaking, Heather laughed, looking at her seriously.

"I think I'll take that drink now."

Jenny smiled, standing up to get the decanter of bourbon. Heather eyed it suspiciously, and when Jenny poured them both a glass, she sniffed it with distaste.

"You don't actually drink this shit, do you?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Willingly?"

Jenny pointedly took a drink and Heather shook her head.

"Ugh. I just can't. Thanks, anyway."

"It's an acquired taste. Jethro kind of started my liking of it."

"Jethro, huh? Interesting name."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it," Jenny laughed, "His first name is Leroy."

"No way," Heather said, trying to control her laughter "Leroy Jethro? His parents must have hated him."

Jenny shrugged.

"To be fair, we have the most generic, boring names ever: Jennifer and Heather."

"Good point."

"So, what does David do? How did you meet?"

"David's a lawyer."

Jenny burst out laughing and Heather frowned.

"What?"

She waved her hand, trying to control her breathing.

"Jethro hates lawyers. Not too fond of them, myself. Anyway, go on."

"We met at a restaurant. I was waiting for coffee and he sat down next to me."

Jenny listened to her sister talk about her husband, watching as her eyes lit up, and she wondered if she looked that way when she spoke about Gibbs. She smiled as Heather spoke of their daughter and she couldn't wait to meet her.

"When can I meet them?"

Heather frowned.

"Um...well, I'm free on Friday. Tori's school is letting out early, so I took vacation to spend the time with her. David's schedule is pretty flexible right now, so if you want, we can all get together. What about Jethro?"

"I'll see if I can get him there."

"Cool. I'll call you on Friday morning and we'll set up a time."

Standing slowly, Jenny frowned as a wave of dizziness crashed over her, and she hugged Heather again, hoping she didn't realise that she was using her to balance. They walked to the door together and Jenny waved as she watched her sister climb into her car. She closed the door, jumping when she felt arms wrap around her from behind, and she glared at Gibbs, tilting her head back.

"Don't be a creep, Jethro."

"She seems nice."

"Uh-huh. Didn't Jackson ever teach you not to eavesdrop?"

"Nope."

Jenny smiled, turning in his arms.

"Well, since you were listening, how would you feel about meeting my sister and her family?"

"I dunno, Jen. Husband's a lawyer."

She delivered a swift slap to the back of his head and he smirked.

"Kidding. I'll be there."

Kissing him slowly, Jenny smiled as she backed him up the stairs.

"Guess what, Jethro?"

"Hm?"

"It's been over two weeks since I stopped taking the antibiotics. Do you know what that means?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, means you can stop bitching about taking them."

Jenny frowned, rolling her eyes.

"No. It means that my birth control is working again."

Gibbs smirked as he kissed her again, running his hand through her hair.

"Glad to hear it."

"Guess we can toss the condoms, right?"

"Go for it, gunny."

He threw her over his shoulder, smirking as she shrieked and as he dropped her safely on the bed, he fully intended to show her just how much she meant to him.

Come Friday morning, Jenny was a nervous wreck. She'd never been the best at dealing with children: she didn't know how to talk to them, and she was more than glad to have Gibbs there to help her. She'd worried that being around a little girl so close in age to Kelly at the time of her demise would be too difficult for him, but he had assured her that he would be fine. As she waited for Heather and her family, Jenny took a drink of bourbon to steady her hands and when Gibbs gently took it from her grasp, she frowned.

"It's going to be okay. You've done far more difficult things before."

"Jethro, I know nothing about children. What if she hates me?"

Gibbs shook his head.

"She won't. She's going to love you, just like I do."

Jenny whirled around at the knock on the door and Gibbs placed his hand at the small of her back.

"Go on," he whispered, "You've got this."

She nodded, pulling open the door. Heather immediately hugged her and Jenny smiled, feeling all of her unease slip away.

"Jenny! So good to see you again."

"You too."

Jenny looked over her shoulder and held out her hand.

"You must be David. I'm Jenny."

"Nice to finally meet you."

She nodded, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a slight movement and she glanced behind Heather. The little girl was staring at her warily, as if she wasn't sure what to make of her, and Jenny couldn't blame her in the slightest.

"Tori, this is your Aunt Jenny. Can you say hello?"

"Hi, Tori. I'm very excited to meet you."

"Hi," came Tori's small voice from behind her mother.

Tori resembled her father a great deal, but her hair had undeniably come from Heather. Jenny led them inside, and when they entered the living room, Gibbs stood up, extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Heather."

"You must be the famous Jethro."

He smirked.

"Not so sure about that."

He knelt down, looking at Tori, and when he smiled, she waved at him shyly.

"Hi. I'm Jethro. What's your name?"

"Tori."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Tori."

Jenny smiled as she watched him, admiring his ease with the little girl, and Heather leaned over to her.

"He's great with her."

Jenny nodded.

"Jethro is amazing with children. I've always admired that about him."

"Are you Aunt Jenny's husband?"

He laughed, shaking his head.

"Not exactly."

"You have a funny name."

"Yeah, I guess I do. But it could always be worse."

Tori frowned, looking so serious that he nearly laughed again.

"How?"

"I could be named Bert."

"Like Bert and Ernie?"

He nodded.

"Just like that."

Jenny smiled, and as they struck up an easy conversation, Gibbs found his hand absentmindedly reaching for his redhead's and Heather looked at their entwined hands curiously. She hadn't realised there was such an age difference between the pair, not that she cared, but it was still surprising. As Tori sat in between them, she kept talking to Gibbs, wanting to be included in the conversation, and Gibbs smiled as he lifted her from the couch.

"Want to hear something cool, Tori?"

"What?"

"I have a boat in my basement."

"Like a pirate ship?"

"Sort of. Maybe someday I'll show it to you."

He picked her up and took her to the study, hoping to find something to entertain her, and when he was out of sight, Heather turned to her sister curiously.

"He has a boat in his basement?"

"Yep. Real deal."

"How's he going to get it out?"

Jenny shook her head, laughing.

"I've been asking that for the past seven years."

"He really is good with kids."

"Yeah. I was a bit worried about him meeting her, though."

David frowned.

"Why?"

"Tori's almost the same age his daughter was when she passed away."

Heather brought her hand to her mouth and David's eyes widened in shock.

"He had a daughter?"

"Yeah. She and Jethro's first wife were killed in a car accident in '91. She was eight."

"How awful."

Realising what Jenny had just said, David frowned.

"His first wife?"

Heather nodded.

"He's been married four times, apparently."

David whistled.

"He must know a pretty good lawyer. Anyone I know?"

Jenny shrugged.

"I'm not sure. You'd have to ask him."

Gibbs returned, looking quite pleased with himself, and Jenny frowned as he sat next to her.

"Found a book that Tori should like. She'll be busy for awhile."

Jenny laid her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her.

"So, Jethro, Jenny tells me you're not fond of lawyers?"

As both Shepard women laughed, Gibbs tilted his head and nodded. They began a lively discussion and when Jenny escorted them to the door nearly an hour later, she couldn't keep the smile from her face. Tori tugged on the hem of Jenny's sweater and she glanced down at her, kneeling so she was at her eye-level.

"Aunt Jenny?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I come visit again?"

"Sure, you can. As long as your Mommy and Daddy say it's okay."

Tori hugged her, and as Jenny wrapped her arms around her, she felt her heart fill with love for the tiny girl.

"Bye, Aunt Jenny! Bye, Jethro!"

Jenny and Gibbs waved, shutting the door slowly, and when she leaned against it, she smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you, Jethro. You have no idea how much it means to me that you were here."

He placed his hands on either side of her head, and she arched an eyebrow at him.

"You owe me, Shepard."

"Oh, shut up. You loved it."

She ducked under his arm and he caught her arm as she ran, pulling her back against him.

"Fine, I owe you. But you'll have to wait. Right now, I'm starving."

As she made her way into the kitchen, his eyes followed her every move.

Jenny smiled as she slid the ring from the chain, and as it sparkled in the dim light, she replayed Ducky's words in her mind. His observations of her relationship with Gibbs were remarkably astute, though she expected nothing less from the doctor, and he had given her a new sense of clarity. The same doubts still lingered in the back of her mind, but for the first time, she was beginning to feel like maybe she could overcome them.

She placed the ring on her finger, growing accustomed to the feeling of its weight on her hand, and she smiled as she stared at it. Running her hand through her hair, wondered how long it would take Gibbs to notice this time. Only this time, she wasn't making a joke. This time, she meant it.

Signing her name to the bottom of the report she was reviewing, Jenny couldn't help but steal a glance at her left hand as she took off her glasses. It had already been a full day and Gibbs still hadn't noticed the ring on her finger. Some investigator. He had even been to her office once already and hadn't seen the silver band. Perhaps she should rethink his position as team leader.

She grabbed her purse, preparing to leave for the night, and as she passed Cynthia's already-empty desk, she smiled. Telling her assistant would simply have to wait for another day. Gibbs had long gone from the office, and she frowned as she glanced at her watch. Seeing that it was nearing 23:00, she knew he would kill her for working so late. Though Ducky had given her a clean bill of health weeks ago, Gibbs was still fiercely adamant about her working so late.

Her driver gave her a weary smile as she walked to her car and when she returned it, she apologised.

"I honestly didn't realise it was so late."

"It's okay, ma'am."

He dropped her off at Gibbs' house, and when she opened the front door, she smiled as she set her purse down on the floor. She made her way carefully down the steps, though she knew he would still be awake, and he turned as she touched the last step.

"Little late, isn't it, Director?"

She smiled apologetically.

"I lost track of time."

He snorted loudly, making it obvious that he didn't believe her, and she sighed. He looked at her, noting how tired she looked and he smiled.

"Drink?"

Jenny nodded, and he poured her a generous measure of bourbon. He handed it to her and she accepted it gratefully, tossing it back. He turned his attention to his boat, and she sat on the work stool, crossing her legs gracefully. As she took another drink, he noticed that the chain around her neck was missing and he frowned.

"Where's your necklace?"

She frowned as she sipped her bourbon, feigning innocence.

"What necklace?"

"You know damn well what necklace."

She raised an eyebrow at him suggestively and he placed the sander in his hand on the ground slowly. He made his way over to her, looking into her eyes seriously. She didn't speak, but she picked up her glass purposefully with her left hand, and his eyes followed her movements closely. As she swallowed the last of her alcohol, he moved impossibly closer to her.

"You remember what I told you?" he asked, his voice low and filled with an unspoken warning.

She nodded, meeting his eyes steadily.

"'The next time you put that ring on, you'd damn well better mean it,'" she quoted softly.

He looked at her, his eyes flickering to the ring glittering on her finger.

"Jen?"

She nodded again, and he smiled as he leaned down to kiss her, pulling her up from the chair.

"You don't want to take it back?"

She shook her head, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair slowly.

"No," she said quietly, "I'm not running anymore."

"You know what this means?"

Raising her eyebrow, Jenny reached for the bottle of bourbon.

"We have to call my Dad. And Heather, and God knows if we don't tell Abby, she'll kill us both. She's probably going to be more excited than anyone."

He frowned again, looking at her.

"This isn't because of Harrison getting out, is it?"

She swallowed her drink, shaking her head and looking at him seriously.

"No. He can rot as far as I'm concerned. This has nothing to do with him. This is about us. You and me. The way it always has been."

He wrapped his arms around her, and he kissed her, tangling his hands in her long red hair.

"I love you, Jen."

"I love you, Jethro. More than you know."

Abby spun on her heel as Gibbs walked into her lab, grabbing the drink he held with a smile.

"Gibbs! A CAF-POW first thing in the morning? Is it my birthday?"

He smirked and Jenny walked in behind him, coffee held tightly in her hand.

"Good morning, Abby."

"Director! Is something wrong? You don't come down here very often unless you're trying to take over cases, and—"

"No, nothing's wrong. And really, Abby? Taking over cases?"

Abby smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, Director."

"We just came down to give you some news we thought you'd want to know."

Abby frowned.

"Do I have to start wearing a monkey suit again?"

Jenny laughed, taking a drink of her coffee.

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"See if you can find your clue."

Abby frowned, looking around the room.

"Can I have a hint?"

"It's something one of us is wearing."

She glanced down at herself, frowning when she saw nothing out of the ordinary, and her eyes moved instead to the silver-haired agent. His jacket, shoes and shirt were normal, classy as usual and she sighed. Finally, her eyes landed on Jenny and she shook her head.

"I have no idea."

"Keep looking."

Her eyes trailed up and down Jenny, searching for anything different, and she sighed. Just as she turned away, she noticed the redhead's left hand and she brought her hands to her mouth.

"Is that—? Did you—? Are you—?"

Jenny nodded, and Abby threw herself at the other woman, wrapping her in a hug that was almost painful. She launched herself at Gibbs, and he patted the top of her head gently.

"Have you guys set a date?"

"Not yet," Jenny answered.

"Am I invited?"

"Of course, Abs. We would never forget you."

She clapped her hands excitedly, and she hugged them each again, bouncing up and down as they left. She couldn't wait to tell McGee.

McGee frowned as he stepped off the elevator, responding to Abby's urgent email. She'd said it was important, and he hoped nothing was wrong with any of her lab equipment.

"Abby, what's the problem? I literally just got here and—"

"Gibbs and the Director are getting married!" the Goth blurted out, unable to contain herself.

"What?"

"It's true. I saw her ring. They told me themselves."

"Woah...married?"

Abby laughed.

"It's not like Gibbs hasn't been married before."

"No, I mean her. Never would have thought Director Shepard was the type to get married."

"They're perfect for each other, Timmy! Now they really will be Mommy and Daddy."

"You know that was just a rumour, right Abby? The Director's not really pregnant," McGee reminded her.

She nodded.

"I know. I meant our Mommy and Daddy."

Abby bounced on her heels, wrapping her arms around McGee. Her day was turning out even better than she could have ever hoped it would. She couldn't wait to tell Tony and Ziva next.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed. They aren't going to immediately get married. I highly doubt Jenny and Gibbs would ever jump into marriage that quickly. I honestly don't know if it will even happen by the end of this story. I haven't decided yet.