A/N: In which Gibbs and Jenny deal with Harrison's attack, and in which Gibbs gets his revenge.
As Jenny watched Gibbs sleep in the hard plastic hospital chair, she smiled and rolled her eyes. She'd tried to convince him to go home, but even as she had, she'd known it would be useless. Her pain was manageable, so long as the IV in her arm was attached, and she knew that he had a case he should have been working on, but he had been adamant about staying.
A low sound reached her ears and after a few seconds, she realised that it was his phone vibrating. She reached out, tapping his arm lightly and when he opened his eyes, he frowned.
"Jen, what is it?"
-Your phone is ringing.
He nodded, picking it up from the table, and as he answered it, he took her hand.
"Yeah. Gibbs."
She closed her eyes, wondering how long she would be forced to stay in this godforsaken bed, and when he hung up, she opened her eyes again in confusion.
"DiNozzo. They solved their case. Kind of makes me feel unneeded."
She hooked her finger at him, beckoning him closer, and when he leaned down, she slapped the back of his head. He laughed quietly, kissing her gently, and she frowned as she tried to remember something.
-Do you know where my cell is?
He shook his head.
"No. I didn't see it in your kitchen. Maybe it was upstairs. Why?"
-I was supposed to meet Heather for lunch today. I need to let her know what's happened.
"I can call her."
Jenny nodded, gesturing to the notepad by her bed and he handed it to her. Writing her sister's number down, she gave it back to him and when he made to step out of the room, her fingers locked around his wrist. Her head shook and he looked down at her seriously.
"You want me to stay?"
She nodded, and he sat back down, reaching again for her hand. He dialed Heather's number, almost hoping she wouldn't answer, and sighed when she did. He really didn't want to be the one to tell her about Jenny's condition, but since she couldn't do it herself, the responsibility fell to him.
"Hi, Heather. It's Jethro."
"Oh, hi! How are you?"
"Well, that's why I'm calling. Jenny isn't going to be able to make your lunch date today."
She must have heard something in his voice, because when she spoke next, he could hear the fear in hers.
"What happened? Is Jenny okay?"
"She's in the hospital."
"It's the Lyme disease, isn't it? It got worse."
"No, it isn't that."
"Wait..." Heather's voice was tight, and he knew she was holding back tears, "why didn't Jenny call me herself?"
"Why don't you come to the hospital and I'll explain more."
He gave her the room number and when he hung up, he could feel Jenny's fingers lightly raking through his hair. Glancing at her, he gave her a smile and when she narrowed her eyes at him, he kissed her.
"Heather's on her way down. I'll meet her in the hall and explain."
-Don't scare her, Jethro.
He ran his hand through her hair and she smiled.
"I won't scare her, Jen. I'll be nice."
Her eyebrow raised and he laughed.
"I will. You'll be proud of me. I can be nice when I have to."
She rolled her eyes as she smiled and he kissed her hand. This wasn't the conversation he had wanted to have so early in his relationship with her sister, but he would have done anything she asked of him. If it made her smile, he would have given her the moon.
Heather Lloyd, formerly Heather Shepard, made her way down the long hallway that would lead her to her sister's room and when she saw a certain silver-haired former marine waiting for her outside the door, she walked a bit faster. He stopped her before she could enter, and she looked at him with annoyance that reminded him so strongly of Jenny that it hurt.
"What's going on? Where's Jenny?"
He inclined his head toward the room and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Heather, there's something you need to see before you go in."
Pulling out the copies he'd had McGee make of the photos of Jenny's injuries, he extended his hand to her.
"They're hard to look at," he warned her, "so you might want to take it slow."
She looked down, nearly dropping it in shock, and her eyes closed automatically. Her hand began shaking and when she opened her eyes, she took a deep breath.
"How did this happen?" she whispered.
"The man that raped Jenny six months ago. He was recently released and he found her. My team is looking for him now, and as soon as they find him, he'll be thrown in prison for the rest of his life. If I don't find him first."
She nodded, and slowly made her way through the pictures, and when she handed them back to him, he placed them back in his pocket. He had promised Jenny that he would tell her more later, and the pictures were the only way he knew he could get through it.
"She's going to be okay, right?"
He nodded, his eyes serious.
"She can't talk right now. That's why I had to call you, but hopefully in a month or two, she'll have made a complete recovery."
Heather hugged him, and he returned it somewhat awkwardly. When she stepped back, he noticed the tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wiped them away and he gestured to the door.
"She's probably wondering where we are."
The younger woman nodded and he led her into the room. Jenny was flipping through a book that Ducky had given her, and when she noticed their presence, she smiled. Heather immediately ran to her bedside, wrapping her arms around her carefully and Gibbs sat down on the opposite side.
"Jenny, are you sure you're okay?"
She nodded and she began signing, tapping Gibbs on the shoulder. Heather frowned and he gave her an encouraging smile.
"She wants to know how Tori is."
Heather smiled and thanked him.
"She's fine. I didn't tell her what happened. You know sign language?"
Jenny smiled and pointed to Gibbs.
"I taught her in Europe."
"That's cool. And really helpful now."
Gibbs frowned as his phone rang again, and he stepped away, answering it coldly. He didn't want his time with Jenny interrupted and it seemed the universe was against him.
"When will you be out?"
Jenny shrugged and picked up the notepad, her pen flying across the paper.
Probably a day or two.
Heather hugged her again, and Jenny felt a few tears drip onto her hair. She reached out to take her sister's hand and gave her a smile.
"Hey, Jen, Cynthia called. She wants to know what to tell SecNav about your meeting for Monday."
Shit. She'd completely forgotten about the meeting and she frowned, thinking frantically.
-Tell her I'll be there. I'll get Abby to interpret if necessary.
Gibbs looked at her seriously, knowing he should try to convince her to postpone it, but he also knew that she would never listen. Instead, he nodded and walked away, giving the sisters privacy.
"Jenny...does it hurt?"
Not as long as I have pain medication.
Heather laughed and then frowned. She wanted to ask her another question, but wasn't sure how to word it.
"Were you...were you scared?"
Jenny nodded, glancing over at Gibbs before she began to write. She hadn't told him just how terrified she had been, and she was immensely glad that he was currently on the phone.
Beyond belief. I was sure that I was going to die. I couldn't stop screaming.
"It looked bad. I'm so glad you're okay. I don't know how you did it."
Jenny frowned, and Heather understood even without words.
"I saw the pictures."
Right. Of course there would have been pictures. She'd forgotten that her house was once again an official crime scene. Heather's phone chirped and when she glanced down, she gave Jenny an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry to do this, but I have to go. Tori's school just called David. She's running a fever."
Jenny waved away her apology and smiled.
Give her a hug from me.
"I will. Let me know if you need anything."
Heather hugged her, kissing the side of her head gently and Jenny smiled as she pulled away.
"Love you."
Jenny nodded, and Gibbs waved from the corner as she passed him. He hung up the phone a minute later and returned to Jenny's bedside and gave her a smile.
"Cynthia said to tell you that she hopes to see you soon."
The redhead nodded, and then remembered what her sister had said.
-You showed Heather the pictures?
He nodded.
"Seemed the easiest way to explain."
-Show me.
He frowned.
"Jen...I don't think you want to see them."
She glared at him, and he sighed. Pulling them out of his pocket, he handed them slowly to her, and her eyes instantly burned with tears as she flipped through them. She felt as though she were looking at someone else, and found that if she distanced herself from it, they were somehow easier to handle. She lingered on the last photo McGee had taken of her throat for a few seconds longer and Gibbs slowly reached out to take them back. He gently pulled them from her fingers and she raised tear-filled eyes to his.
-You took these?
"McGee."
She nodded, and he ran his thumb under her eyes, wiping away the tears that fell.
"Jen...you need to take it easy."
-Jethro...I want to go home.
"I know. It won't be long. You're staying with me, though. Clear?"
-I always intended to.
He leaned in to kiss her, and she smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair. As he laid his head on her chest, she continued to touch his hair and when she felt him fall asleep ten minutes later, she couldn't stop herself from smiling.
Against her many protests and angry glares, Gibbs swept Jenny into his arms as he walked to his truck and when he placed her carefully onto the seat, she flipped him off with a smile as he made his way to the other side. After finally being released from the hospital, she wanted nothing more than to go back to his house and sleep in a proper bed, but she knew it wasn't possible yet. She still needed to have her meeting with SecNav and though there was nothing she wanted to do less, she decided she'd better get it over with.
Gibbs' phone rang as he drove them to the Navy Yard, and he sighed as he answered it.
"Yeah. Gibbs."
"Gibbs, I've found him."
"Where?"
"The bar we were in last week."
"Thanks, Ziva."
He hung up, pointedly ignoring Jenny's questioning look, and as he parked the truck, she glared at him. He knew she would try (figuratively, at least) to talk him out of it, and he couldn't risk that. He helped her inside the building, noticing that she kept her eyes on the ground, and he leaned down closer to her ear.
"You okay?"
She nodded, and as they stepped onto the lift, Jenny found her view suddenly obstructed by black hair. Abby had thrown her arms around her, and when the redhead lightly tapped on her shoulder, she pulled away apologetically.
"Director Shepard! I'm so glad you're okay!"
Jenny smiled at her and Gibbs looked at the Goth warmly.
"Abs, need you to do me a favour."
"Name it, Gibbs."
"I need you to interpret what Director Shepard says to SecNav."
Jenny frowned, confused. She smacked him lightly on the arm and he looked at her.
-What about you?
"Can't. I've got something I need to take care of."
She nodded, and Abby hugged her again.
"Don't worry, Director. I'll help any way I can."
Gibbs kissed Jenny and Abby couldn't keep the smile from her face. He placed a light kiss on the younger girl's cheek as they stepped off the elevator, and he leaned down to her ear.
"Thanks, Abs."
He didn't bother following them as they walked up the stairs, but his eyes followed the redhead as she walked, taking note of the way she seemed to be avoiding everyone's gaze. As the silver doors slid shut, he only had one thing on his mind, and it sure as hell wasn't his gossiping colleagues.
Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter frowned at the young woman who sat next to him and looked across the desk to Jenny in confusion.
"Jennifer, I hope you realise that this is highly unusual to have a third party sitting in on our meeting."
Jenny nodded, and gestured to Abby. She would never admit it, but she was secretly looking forward to hearing his condescending tone change, and she nodded to the folder the Goth was holding out. He took it from her, gasping as he flipped through them and looked at her seriously.
"These are part of your MCRT's latest case?"
The redhead shook her head and pointedly looked at him. He frowned and Abby spoke up softly.
"Sir, these are photos of the attack on Director Shepard."
He looked at her properly for the first time, and nodded.
"I'm assuming this is the reason for your presence?"
Abby nodded, taking the folder back.
"She can't speak, sir. I know sign language, so does Director Shepard."
"Right. Jennifer, I know that you've been through quite an ordeal these past few months, and while I do sympathise, I need to know: are you still capable of performing your job?"
Jenny fought the urge to roll her eyes and nodded.
-Sir, if we explain the situation, I'm sure that most people will understand. Between Ms. Sciuto and Agent Gibbs, interpretation would not be an issue.
Abby relayed the message and SecNav frowned.
"And in those moments when neither Agent Gibbs nor Ms. Sciuto can be spared?"
-I would hope that such high-ranking and educated officials can read.
Abby looked at Jenny seriously before speaking.
"You really want me to tell him that, Director?"
Jenny nodded and Abby took a deep breath.
"She said...I would hope that such high-ranking and educated officials can read...sir."
The Goth's eyes flickered back and forth between the two as Secretary Winter studied Jenny and when he laughed suddenly, she visibly relaxed.
"You make a very good point, Jennifer. However, if you should change your mind, it can be arranged for you to take a temporary leave of absence until you feel better prepared."
Jenny glared at him, and he held out his hand.
"If you change your mind, let me know."
Shaking his hand, she offered him a smile, and he returned it.
"If you need anything, Jennifer...do not hesitate."
She nodded, and as Cynthia showed him to the door, it occurred to Jenny that they hadn't even discussed the original need for their meeting.
Gibbs' trained eyes followed Harrison as he pulled his car into the driveway, and as soon as the younger man had stepped out of the vehicle, Gibbs crossed the street.
"Don't move, Harrison."
He turned, giving him a slightly amused smile.
"Agent Gibbs. I had a feeling I would be seeing you soon. I do apologise...I never really meant for it to go this far. I didn't want to hurt her, but you know redheads. Stubborn to a fault. She wouldn't listen to a word I had to say."
Gibbs trained his weapon on the younger man and moved slowly closer.
"We found your DNA at the scene. You're going back to prison. No point in running."
"Look, Agent Gibbs, I already said I was sorry for killing your girlfriend."
Gibbs didn't bother to correct him. If the bastard thought Jenny was dead, that ultimately worked better for his needs now.
"Think of it this way: you killed my brother, I killed her. Now we're even."
Gibbs shook his head.
"Except your brother got what he deserved. She never did anything to deserve this."
Harrison was still standing by his open car door and Gibbs frowned as he took another step closer.
"She got me thrown in jail."
"You did that. The second you touched her, you were going away. Should have known better."
Gibbs knew, even before Harrison moved, that he was going to try. He pulled out a gun from underneath his seat and fired once, his aim wide. He made a mad dash for the door of the house, and Gibbs fired his own shot, hitting just above his knee. Harrison went down, but kept moving. He somehow managed to unlock and open the door, and as he staggered into the large living room, Gibbs ran after him, weapon still drawn.
Harrison's next shot missed his shoulder by mere inches and Gibbs delivered a swift kick to his leg. He tried to kick the gun from his hand, but Harrison held strong. Grabbing the former marine by the ankle, Harrison pulled him to the floor, and as Gibbs punched him squarely in the jaw, he could have sworn he was laughing.
"You know, it's kind of funny," he panted, spitting out a mouthful of blood, "Jenny put up one hell of a fight, too."
Gibbs grabbed his wrist, slamming it onto the floor over and over again, hoping he would release it. Finally it fell from his hand, and Gibbs wrapped his hand around his throat.
"I will admit it...I loved hearing her scream. It was beautiful."
Harrison's reaching fingers found the firearm again, but before he could raise it, Gibbs brought the barrel of his own gun to the younger man's head. Harrison laughed, though Gibbs could find nothing funny about it, and when he spoke, his voice was breathless.
"I'll tell the little bitch you said hello."
Gibbs didn't think. He pulled the trigger as hard as he could, not even looking away as the blood sprayed over him. He needed to see the life fade from Harrison's eyes, and it wasn't until he finally stopped breathing that Gibbs stood, staring down at the still body. He pulled out his phone, calling the one person he knew could help him now.
"Fornell."
"Hey, Tobias, need a favour."
"Last time you said that, it was a complete shit storm."
He laughed.
"True. But this isn't really for me, per se. It's for Jenny."
He could almost see Fornell frowning and waited.
"What is it?"
"Harrison's dead. I need help clearing a few things. Meet me at my house."
"Be there in fifteen."
Tobias Fornell whistled as Gibbs told him what had happened at the Harrison residence, and shook his head.
"How bad is she?"
Gibbs handed him the pictures he'd shown Heather, and as the other agent's eyes widened, he swore softly.
"She's alive? How in God's name did she pull through that?"
Gibbs shrugged, looking at him seriously.
"She's strong. Stronger than anyone I've ever known. I need your help to make this all go away. I don't want her knowing what happened, and I don't want to see any paperwork about it."
Fornell nodded.
"Where is she?"
"Her office."
"She's at work?" Fornell asked incredulously.
"Yep. Had a meeting with SecNav today. I'm going to do everything I can to see if she'll take some time off."
"Mind if I come visit her if you manage it?"
He shook his head.
"By all means. Believe it or not, Jenny does like you."
"Hell, I just want to shake her hand. Got to be one hell of a woman to live through that."
Gibbs smiled. Yeah, she definitely was.
Gibbs hoped, as he changed out of his bloodstained shirt, that Jenny hadn't paid too much attention to what he'd been wearing that morning. As he walked into her office, he smiled when he saw her sitting behind the desk, typing furiously, and when he closed the door quietly, she glanced up. She smiled at him and waved him in, holding up a finger for him to wait. She finished typing and gave him a curious look as he sat across from her.
"Email?" he asked.
-Sort of. Explaining that for the foreseeable future, I will be unable to take phone calls or speaking engagements.
He nodded.
-SecNav told me that I could file for a leave of absence until I felt more comfortable.
"Are you going to?"
She frowned, shaking her head.
-I haven't decided. I don't want to hide from this, but it does make more sense to wait until I can actually speak again. Assuming that I'll ever be able to.
"You will. Just give it time."
She resumed typing and he watched her for a moment before the chirping of his phone distracted him. He glanced at the text message from Fornell and smiled.
It's taken care of. Give Jenny my best.
He typed out a quick reply, not noticing that Jenny had been trying to get his attention from behind her desk. She rolled her eyes before grabbing a piece of paper and crumpling it up into a ball. She tossed it at the side of his head, and when it hit its target, she smirked. He looked at her, slightly annoyed, and frowned.
-Did you take care of whatever business you had earlier?
He nodded.
"Yep. Are you staying much longer?"
She shook her head, looking at him seriously.
-No. All I want to do is go to bed.
He arched an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes.
-Not what I meant.
Standing, he leaned over her desk, letting his lips brush over hers gently.
"I know. Get your jacket and we'll head home."
Home sounded absolutely wonderful.
Watching her as she carefully undressed, Gibbs smiled and walked over to Jenny, wrapping his arms around her. She frowned, and he gave her a reassuring smile.
"From Fornell. He wanted me to give you a hug."
-Fornell knows?
"Jen, you're the Director of a federal agency. Everyone knows."
She rolled her eyes.
-Fair enough.
"Would you at least consider taking time off? For me?"
-I said I would.
"Yeah, but we both know how stubborn you are."
She glared at him, and he simply shrugged in response. He pulled her down to sit on the bed next to him, and she rested her head on his shoulder. His fingers slipped into her hair, and she smiled at the comforting sensation. She raised up slowly, her eyes troubled, and he met her gaze levelly.
"What is it?"
-I don't want people to think differently of me.
He shook his head, reaching for her hand.
"If anything, they're going to think you're even more of a badass. Jen, do you realise how incredibly strong you are for surviving what you've been through? I don't know of anyone else who could have done it."
-They're going to stare.
"People always stare at you, Jen. You're gorgeous. Even more so now. You fought for your life and you won. No one can take that away from you."
She nodded, but he knew, even as he smiled, that she didn't believe him. She was going to make herself sick overthinking every look that was given to her, and he hoped that he would somehow be able to help her through it. He pushed her gently back on the bed and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her against his chest. Placing a light kiss to her temple, he let his lips linger longer than he normally would have, and when he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
"Just remember how much I love you, Jen. No matter what happens."
Jenny angrily slammed the door of her office so hard that it rattled in the frame, and it still wasn't enough. She'd tried not to listen to the whispered voices in the squad room as she'd walked to MTAC, but she'd still caught bits and pieces of the conversations. She'd known they would talk, known that her injuries would be a hot topic to discuss for quite a while, but she'd underestimated just how much it would get under her skin.
She walked into her adjoining bathroom, shutting the door behind her, and as she tried to control her anger, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. All things considered, she didn't look as badly as she'd feared, but it was still enough to make her uncomfortable. The bruising on her skin had been masked with makeup, but she hadn't even attempted to cover up the stitches on her left cheek. She had no idea if makeup was safe to use on it, and it wasn't something she was going to risk for the sake of vanity.
The bandage on her throat covered the stitching entirely, but she could only imagine that she looked similar to Frankenstein's monster beneath it. Ducky had told her that it wasn't nearly that bad, but she knew he was just being kind. The next two weeks of waiting for the stitching to be removed were going to be torture, and she tried to keep the tears she could feel in her eyes from falling. Even as she looked into her own eyes, she knew she was being ridiculous, that her worth wasn't based on her appearance, but she couldn't help the feeling of disgust she felt at the sight before her.
Before she even had time to truly consider her actions or the consequences thereof, Jenny brought her hand back and slammed her fist into the mirror, closing her eyes to protect them from the glass. She didn't even feel the pain of the glass embedded into her hand, and as she set about cleaning it, she cursed herself, both for hating her appearance and for ever thinking that she was strong enough to handle this.
She kept her head down as she walked across the catwalk, and she was suddenly thankful that not many of her employees glanced up throughout their day. Gibbs was the only one who ever looked at the catwalk with any kind of regularity, and she knew that he only did it in an attempt to see her. He was focused on his computer at the moment, and she knew, just from the steely look in his eyes, that he could hear the whispers around him.
"Hey, guys...I'm trying to fix this cable here. Can you guys made be a little quieter?"
"Sorry, Tim, we were just talking about—"
"I know. Director Shepard. That's all any of you have talked about for the past three days. Give it a rest. You've got no idea what she's gone through, and she doesn't deserve to have you talking about her all day. So she's got a few bruises, maybe a scar or two. You can't possibly tell me that all of you have absolutely no imperfections. Besides, hers were earned. She's a hell of a lot braver than most of you, and she's damn well earned your respect."
Jenny had never felt more proud of the young agent and she smiled in spite of the tears in her eyes. She recognised the voice of Will Chamberlain as he spoke up and she frowned.
"We were just talking about how good it was that she's alive. We'd never make it without her."
"Oh," McGee answered, "Right. Sorry."
Jenny smirked, and made her way carefully to the steps. She met Gibbs' eyes as she approached him and nodded towards the elevator. He stood, frowning when she shook her head, and she looked pointedly over his shoulder. His eyes landed on McGee and he suddenly understood.
"McGee. With me. Now."
"Coming, boss."
They met Jenny inside the lift, and McGee frowned, looking nervously between the two of them.
"Boss...Director Shepard, I just...I know I shouldn't have yelled like that, but—"
Jenny held up her hand, halting his protests and began signing. As Gibbs watched her, he tried not to smile, and looked to his young agent.
"You're not in trouble, McGee."
He glanced at Jenny, his eyes confused.
"I'm not?"
She shook her head, offering him a smile. Making a writing gesture, she turned to Gibbs, and he nodded, pulling out a small notepad. McGee handed her a pen and she braced herself against the wall of the elevator to steady her hand as she wrote. She handed the piece of paper to McGee, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling as he read what she had written.
"Thank you, Director."
She shook her head again, and began signing again. Gibbs was about to tell him what she'd said, but McGee stopped him with a smile. He knew enough of sign language to know what she'd meant.
"Thank you, Jenny."
She smiled, reaching out to touch his shoulder lightly, and Gibbs flipped the switch to start the elevator again. He stole a quick glance over McGee's shoulder to read the paper he still held in his hand and he smiled when his eyes found Jenny's in the lift.
I'm proud of you, Tim.
Gibbs let McGee exit the elevator first, and when Jenny made to pass him, he held his arm in front of the door. Cobalt blue met emerald green and when she nodded, he stopped the elevator again.
"What happened to your hand?"
-My mirror broke in the bathroom of my office.
He frowned.
"Uh-huh. And how did that happen, exactly?"
She shrugged, and he sighed. He tilted her chin up so that she had no choice but to look at him, and he looked down at her seriously.
"You're still the most beautiful woman in the whole damn building, Jen."
She frowned.
-I think Ziva might have me beat.
"Not to me."
She smiled sadly, and he ran his thumb gently over the stitches in her cheek.
"If you want, we can ask Ducky if he knows of any ways to reduce scarring once the stitches are removed."
Jenny nodded, and hit the emergency stop switch. She pressed the button that would take them to autopsy, and Gibbs frowned.
"Now?"
She glared at him and he smirked.
"Now, it is."
He was silent for a few seconds and just before the elevator stopped, he turned to face her, his eyes locking on hers.
"I love you, Jen."
She reached up to touch his face gently, and raised up on her toes to kiss him.
"I love you," she mouthed.
He wrapped his arm around her waist as they left the elevator and he smiled as he noticed that her head was held a little higher than it had been before.
The cold autopsy room was empty save for the Scottish doctor, and he gave them both a large smile as they entered.
"Jennifer! Jethro! How are you both?"
Jenny smiled, and he hugged her gently. Gibbs nodded his head and leaned against one of the metal tables.
"Got a question, Duck."
"Of course."
"What are some good ways to prevent scarring after removing stitches?"
Ducky nodded, looking at Jenny seriously.
"Well, the first thing you'll want to do it let it heal completely. Don't try to rush anything. Massage the area daily with Vitamin E or aloe for the first few weeks, and avoid sunlight."
Jenny nodded, and the doctor couldn't help but notice that she looked disheartened.
"I know it isn't what you want to hear Jennifer, and I do wish I could be of more help, but you must understand that you're stunning regardless. Don't ever think otherwise."
She gave him a sad smile and he wrapped her in a hug again. She kissed his cheek when she pulled away, and he smiled as he remembered something.
"Jethro tells me that you've recently reconnected with your sister and her family. Will we have the pleasure of meeting before the wedding?"
The redhead nodded, and signed quickly. Gibbs smiled and Ducky looked to him for assistance.
"She says you're going to love Tori."
"Tori is your sister?"
Gibbs shook his head.
"Heather is her sister. Tori is her niece."
Ducky nodded.
"Always a pleasure meeting bright young minds. And if she's related to you, Jennifer, she is undoubtedly bright."
Jenny smiled, kissing his cheek again and he waved as she walked out of the cold room. Gibbs lingered for a few more moments, and he clapped the doctor on the shoulder.
"Thanks, Duck."
"Anytime."
Gibbs began walking to the door and the doctor's quiet voice stopped him.
"Oh, and Jethro? Don't let her forget how much she means to you. She's going to need you."
He nodded.
"Won't be a problem. I need her too, Duck. More than she knows."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Love you guys so much!