A/N: This is what happens when my work is slow and I get sent home. I have to fill my empty life with writing and music. In this installment, we see a situation similar to the episode "Leap of Faith" in certain aspects, and Ducky interrupts an important moment.

Jennifer Shepard, in no uncertain terms and by her own admission, was being a bitch. Had been for the better part of the week, so much so that even one Leroy Jethro Gibbs had even been avoiding her wrath. She was currently sitting behind her desk, slowly drinking a cup of coffee and trying to find the best way to respond to an important email without coming across as rude, to no avail. When her intercom beeped, she sighed, and ran her hand through her hair, hoping she could keep the annoyance at being disturbed from her voice.

"Excuse me, Director."

"What is it, Cynthia?"

"Ma'am, we have...a situation."

She rolled her eyes.

"What kind of situation?"

"Agent Gibbs and Agent DiNozzo are on the roof."

Jenny stood from her desk, walking to her door and opening it quickly. She looked at her assistant, beyond confused.

"What do you mean "they're on the roof", Cynthia? I haven't been that much of a bitch lately, have I?"

"Ma'am, they brought a marine in for questioning and he managed to escape and climb to the roof. They're up there now trying to talk him down."

Shit.

"Where are McGee and David?"

"Down on the ground, trying to establish communication."

She nodded. Turning on her heel, Jenny walked back into her office, grabbing her sidearm and badge. Not that she really supposed she needed her badge, but it was habit.

"What side of the building?"

"Front. Right by the entrance."

"Hold my calls."

"You're going down there, ma'am?"

Jenny nodded seriously.

"This is my agency. I can't sit back and do nothing."

Cynthia nodded as she watched her boss walk swiftly down the stairs, wondering (and not for the first time) if other assistants had days at work as complicated as her own.

Flashing her badge, Jenny walked up behind McGee and Ziva, leaning close as she tried to assess the situation.

"How in the hell did he get up there?"

Ziva shrugged.

"You would need to ask Tony. He was the one escorting him in."

"Does he have a weapon?"

"I do not know."

Jenny looked to McGee.

"Have you gotten through to Gibbs yet?"

He nodded.

"A few seconds ago, Director."

She held out her hand.

"Let me talk to him."

The young agent looked at her seriously before handing her the device. Of all the ways he could have imagined his day would end up, this wasn't one of them.

"Sergeant Rice, you don't want to do this."

"I'm not going to jail! I didn't do anything wrong."

Gibbs frowned, trying to move closer. Tony stood just off to his right, and he held out his hand to keep him at a distance. He could see the glint of metal in the marine's hand, and the last thing he wanted was for someone to get hurt.

"We just want to ask you a few questions. That's all."

"Yeah, and then throw me in jail for the rest of my life for giving up military secrets."

Shaking his head, Gibbs took a careful step. The gun swung in his direction, and he stopped instantly.

"Stay away from me."

"Calm down. No one has to get hurt here."

"Agent Gibbs, what's your status?"

Gibbs frowned as Jenny's voice came through his ear piece, and Tony looked at him seriously.

"Boss?"

"Not now."

Ignoring Jenny's voice in his ear, Gibbs turned back to the man in front of him.

"Sergeant, we just want to talk. Why don't you come down, and we can work this out, okay?"

"Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs rolled his eyes and jerked his head at Tony.

"Answer her," he snapped.

"Director Shepard, Agent Gibbs is currently trying to get the subject down peacefully."

"Does he have a weapon?"

"Affirmative, ma'am."

Inching closer, Gibbs kept his eyes locked on the weapon pointed at him and held up his hands slowly.

"Do you have a family, Sergeant Rice?"

He didn't answer, and Gibbs tried again.

"Answer the question, Sergeant."

"I have a wife and little girl."

Gibbs nodded, still moving closer.

"Do you want to do this to them, Sergeant? If you jump off this roof, your wife and daughter will lose you forever. You don't want to hurt them like that."

"I'll go to jail if I give up military secrets. I'll lose them anyway."

The gun was still pointed at him and the marine glanced down at Gibbs' own weapon.

"Put your gun on the ground."

"I wasn't going to use it."

"I don't care. Put the damn gun on the ground!"

Gibbs nodded, pulling it from the holster and setting it down gently.

"Sergeant, even if you do go to jail, you'd still be able to see your wife and daughter. If you die, you'll never see them again. Isn't that better than being dead? I know my wife would rather I be alive and in jail than lying dead in a morgue."

Tony frowned, then realised his boss was talking about Jenny. If the situation hadn't been so serious, he would have smiled. Gibbs was almost close enough to touch him now, and the man backed away, nearly slipping in his haste. Mentally kicking himself for getting them into this mess, Tony glanced down at the crowd watching them from the ground. There were only two ways this would end, and he already had a feeling he knew which way it would go. He just hoped he was wrong.

Jenny swore under her breath as she looked up to the roof and turned to Ziva.

"Is there any way you can get a shot at him without killing him?"

The younger woman shook her head.

"Not without hitting Gibbs, too."

Jenny reached for the rifle held by the Israeli and peered through the scope.

"McGee?"

"My aim's nowhere near that good, Director."

Frowning, Jenny walked slowly away from them, trying to find a new vantage point. If she moved slightly back, she could take the shot without hitting Gibbs, but if he moved at all, there wasn't a chance. She sighed, pressing the communications device in her hand.

"Agent DiNozzo, Agent Gibbs, we've got weapons in place to take him down if necessary."

"Yes, ma'am," came Tony's reply.

She'd never attempted a shot from such a distance, and she only prayed that if the time came, she wouldn't miss.

Gibbs moved carefully, his voice quiet as he spoke into the communications device.

"Who's got the shot?"

"I do," Jenny answered softly.

He nodded, still hoping there was a way to work this out.

"Stand by."

"Copy."

"Sergeant Rice...please come down. We can talk about this. Maybe work out a deal. No one has to get hurt here."

The marine shook his head, and when he raised his gun to fire at Tony, Gibbs moved quicker than he would have thought possible. He reached for the weapon, his hand locking around the man's wrist, and as he struggled against him, Gibbs prayed that they wouldn't fall.

"Boss?"

Gibbs didn't answer, and Tony moved to grab the gun he had left laying on the roof. If all else failed, he would attempt the shot himself. Gibbs glared at him and shook his head. If he got too close, he could be in Jenny's line of fire.

"DiNozzo, stay back!"

Shit. This was not going to end well.

Jenny could tell, even from her position on the ground, that a struggle had broken out. She watched as Tony made for the gun, but when he stopped, she frowned. Raising her weapon, she trained it carefully on the pair above her, hoping that her hands would be steady enough if she needed them. Her eyes followed them through the scope and she frowned in concentration.

"Shepard!"

Gibbs' voice was urgent in her ear and she tensed, waiting. She needed to be absolutely sure. Knowing he would never ask her to fire unless it were necessary, she took a deep breath and steadied her arm.

"Shepard, take the shot!"

She fired the weapon, not even blinking as she pulled the trigger, and when she saw both Gibbs and the marine land on the roof, her heart pounded against her chest.

"Agent Gibbs, Agent DiNozzo, I need your status."

"Good here, Director."

She frowned.

"Gibbs?"

There was no answer, and she swore.

"Agent Gibbs?"

Where the hell was he?

As soon as the shot echoed in the quiet, Gibbs was blown back onto the stone rooftop. He blinked, trying to catch his breath, and as soon as he determined there had been no permanent damage, he moved to the marine a few feet from him. Jenny's aim had been true, and blood poured out of the man's shoulder. It didn't appear to be a fatal shot, and Gibbs pressed his hands over the wound.

He could hear Jenny's voice in his ear, but he wasn't going to let go of the still bleeding wound. He almost yelled for DiNozzo to give her his status, but knowing the redhead as well as he did, he knew she would never be satisfied until she heard his voice.

"Agent Gibbs?"

He jerked his head at Tony, and when the younger man came forward, he nodded at the wound.

"Put pressure here."

"You got it, boss."

"Jethro?!"

Jenny's voice was desperate now, and her use of his given name betrayed her fear.

"All good here, Jen."

He could hear her sigh in relief and he smiled.

"Was anyone else hit?"

"No. Trying to stop the bleeding now."

"Copy. Ducky will be up as soon as he can."

Gibbs sat back on his heels, breathing out a sigh, and he nodded.

"Soon as he does, we'll be down."

"Copy."

Moments later, the Scottish doctor walked up behind them, kneeling down to examine the wound. Gibbs stood up slowly, careful not to touch his clothing and when Ducky handed him a towel, he nodded in thanks.

"He gonna be okay?"

Ducky nodded.

"Oh, yes. The bullet exited cleanly, missed all the major arteries, he should be just fine once we close it up. Jennifer just saved both of your lives."

Gibbs frowned.

"I told her to take him down and she did. Didn't tell her to kill him."

"Yes, I know."

As the Sergeant was lifted onto a stretcher, Ducky moved closer to Gibbs, his voice low enough that only he could hear.

"You might want to stop by her office. She looked rather pale as she went inside."

Gibbs nodded.

"Thanks, Duck."

Whipping around to the younger agent still standing behind him, Gibbs glared.

"DiNozzo! How in the hell did he manage to grab your weapon and get all the way up here without you catching him?"

Tony faltered, stumbling over his words as they walked and when Gibbs' hand slapped the back of his head painfully, he winced.

"Won't happen again, boss."

"Damn right it won't."

Jenny didn't speak to anyone as she made her way back into her office, and as she collapsed behind her desk, she gripped the wood tightly to keep her hands steady. Firing a gun had never bothered her, even shooting a person hadn't bothered her this much in years, and she was struggling to figure out why she was coping so badly now. She supposed it could have been the mere fact that Gibbs had been so close to her line of fire, and she would have never forgiven herself if she'd hit him, but it was still unsettling for her to be this strongly affected.

Her door opened slowly, and she glanced up as he walked in, not returning his smile.

"Sergeant Rice?"

"Being stitched up now."

She nodded.

"DiNozzo?"

"Writing up a report and about twenty minutes away from having his ass handed to him."

He'd expected her to laugh, possibly even reprimand him, and when she stayed silent, he frowned. Moving closer, he noticed her death grip on the desk, and looked at her seriously.

"You okay?"

She didn't answer, and he reached out to cover one of her hands with his.

"Jen?"

Taking a slow breath, she nodded and he shook his head, not believing her for an instant. He walked around the desk, prying her fingers loose from the wood, and pulled her upright. Leading her to the couch, he placed a comforting hand on her knee as she stared at her hands in her lap, and he brushed his thumb over her cheek.

"I could have shot you," she whispered.

He shook his head.

"No. Your shot was exactly where it needed to be. Hell of a shot, Jen. I couldn't have done any better."

She met his eyes, and he could see the fear reflected in them.

"I did the right thing," she said quietly, as though she were trying to convince herself.

He nodded, reaching for her hand. He kissed it gently, letting his lips linger.

"You did."

"He would have killed himself and you if I hadn't taken the shot."

"Yeah."

He kissed her cheek, tasting the salt on her tear-stained skin.

"I did the right thing, Jethro."

"No question."

Her head fell on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her gently.

"God, I need a drink so much," she whispered.

He shook his head, looking at her seriously. She was shaking, it was true, and while he normally would have given her what she'd asked for, he wasn't going to risk jeopardizing her newly-found sobriety. Maybe years from now she could drink in moderation again, but there was no way in hell that he would sacrifice her health for one bad day.

"You don't. You were amazing today. You stayed calm, you weighed the risks of the situation and made informed decisions, you took a nearly-impossible shot and it saved the lives of at least three people. And you did it all sober."

He kissed her, holding her as close as he could, and looked into her eyes deeply.

"I'm so proud of you, Jen."

Jenny laid her head on his shoulder again, wiping away her tears as they fell with a shaking hand. If he was proud of the job she'd done, she supposed she could live with it.

"Tony, only you could manage to get us into a situation like that."

Tony threw up his hands exasperatedly.

"It wasn't my fault! It happened so fast. Rice grabbed my gun, knocked me over the head with it, and by the time I caught up to him, he was on the roof. I did the best I could."

McGee snickered.

"Yeah, then the Director saved your ass."

"Hey, Gibbs and I had it under control."

Ziva rolled her eyes, looking at him incredulously.

"We were there, Tony. If she hadn't taken that shot, all three of you would probably be dead."

"The boss was talking him down. Got him to talk about his wife and daughter enough to—"

He stopped, remembering what Gibbs had said to Rice on the roof. McGee looked at him, frowning.

"What?"

"Just something Gibbs said up there."

"Tony! McGee! Ziva! You're okay!"

Abby's voice was loud as she ran off the elevator and threw herself onto the Senior Field Agent. He groaned slightly and she released him, moving on to hug the rest of the team.

"What was it like?"

McGee shrugged.

"Ziva and I were on the ground. Tony and Gibbs were the ones up there in all the action."

Abby frowned, looking at Tony with a look of pure confusion.

"How'd he get up there, anyway?"

"Okay, enough with that! I screwed up, okay? Let it go."

"Tony, what did Gibbs say? That you were about to tell us?" McGee asked.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Got distracted by a bouncy Goth scientist. Gibbs called Jenny his wife."

Ziva frowned.

"I did not think they had set a wedding date yet."

"They haven't," Abby answered with a frown, "Unless they eloped. Wouldn't that be great!"

"I thought you wanted to be at the wedding," Tony reminded her.

"I do, but you have to admit, there's something about eloping that is just so romantic."

McGee shook his head, looking between his friends, and he sighed.

"He was probably trying to connect with the guy. Make him feel less alone."

"McGee is right. I do not think that Gibbs and the Director would have gotten married without it getting around somehow," Ziva said logically.

"Come on, Ziva! They had a relationship, twice I might add, under the noses of everyone in this agency for months before anyone knew! Speaking of the boss man, where is he?"

"He went to see Director Shepard."

"See, I told you, Zee-vah!"

Rolling her eyes, Ziva smirked as she threw her stapler across the room at her partner.

Jenny very narrowly managed to refrain from rolling her eyes as she spoke to Sergeant Rice's commanding officer over the video feed in MTAC. He was being deliberately obtuse, dodging her every question, and she glared at him, hoping he could sense her anger even through the screen.

"Commander Curtis, whatever secrets you're keeping from me nearly cost me the lives of three people today. A man was so desperate to avoid jail time for simply being questioned that he was prepared to end not only his own life, but the lives of two of my best agents."

"I understand that, Director Shepard, but I cannot divulge military proceedings and secrets."

"I have top secret clearance," she reminded him coldly.

"I'm afraid that isn't good enough, ma'am."

"Like hell it isn't! Your Sergeant took drastic action today, and I will get to the bottom of this. Of that, you can be sure. I don't care if I have to call the White House. It will happen."

"You can't do that."

"You can't stop me," Jenny spat.

She cut off the feed, turning on her heel and making her way to the door. She could feel the eyes of the technicians on her as she moved, but she was so furious that she couldn't have cared less. Her initial shock and fear had worn off, giving way to blazing anger, and she was determined to figure out what secrets were being kept from her.

Hours later, Jenny was pacing angrily in her office, letting the emotion distract her from the overwhelming desire for a drink. She'd hit wall after wall in her attempts to uncover the secrets Sergeant Rice had been going to tell them, and she sighed as she realised that they would just have to wait until he was able to be questioned to get her answers. She hadn't seen Gibbs since he'd come up to her office immediately following the incident, and she threw herself into her chair as she tried to control her anger.

The quiet knock on her door made her roll her eyes and she sighed.

"Come in."

She had expected to see Tony DiNozzo before the end of the day, and he hadn't disappointed her. He approached her slowly, cautiously, almost as if he were afraid of her, and she frowned.

"What is it, Agent DiNozzo?"

"I just...I know how Gibbs feels about apologies, but I wanted to say that I'm sorry. What happened today was careless, stupid, and it put the lives of a lot of people in danger."

She stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. He stopped just in front of her desk, and when he laid his badge and weapon on the top, she met his eyes seriously.

"I screwed up, Jenny. Big time. My official resignation will be on your desk tomorrow morning."

He had almost made it to her door when she spoke, her voice soft yet loud in the silence.

"Tony."

He turned, and she beckoned him closer. He walked back, and she looked at him with an emotion that he would have come dangerously close to calling sympathy.

"You made a mistake. There's no point in denying that. But you handled the situation well, and I think it's safe to say that you learned something from this. Do you really think I got this far in my career without making a few mistakes of my own? Or that Gibbs never makes mistakes? Contrary to what he would like you to believe, he does make them. Frequently. I'm just usually the one who fixes them."

He smiled slightly and she continued.

"You made a mistake, yes. But you fix it, you learn from it, and you move on."

She pushed the weapon and badge back to him and looked at them pointedly.

"The next time you put these on my desk, you'd better be prepared to lose them."

He frowned and she nodded at him.

"Now, pick them up and go back to work before I change my mind."

Slowly, he nodded and took them in his hands, giving her a look of confusion.

"Why?"

"You don't waste good," she quoted simply.

He smiled at the rule and placed the gun back in its holster. Just before he opened her door again, he turned and gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Jenny."

"You're welcome. Now, go."

Gibbs smiled as he heard the sound of Jenny's footsteps on the basement stairs and when he looked up, his eyes roamed over her appreciatively. She'd changed from the clothing she'd worn to work, opting instead for one of his old shirts, and her hair fell loose around her shoulders, slightly damp and curling from her shower. It had been rough not having bourbon while he worked on his boat, that much he would admit, but the clearness of her eyes as she smiled at him made it worth the discomfort.

"Feeling better?"

She nodded, sliding carefully onto the stool in front of his table, not wanting her bare legs to stick to it. Watching him for a moment, she took a deep breath before speaking, and tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Tony turned in his weapon and badge this evening. He told me that his official resignation would be on my desk tomorrow morning."

He turned, frowning and set his sander down.

"What?"

She nodded.

"He told me that he had screwed up, put people's lives in danger."

"He did, but that's no reason—"

"I refused it."

He looked at her seriously and stepped closer to her.

"You did what?"

"I refused his resignation," she repeated, knowing full well that he had heard her, "I'm not going to let him throw away his career over one mistake. We've all made them."

"Good."

Gibbs stopped just in front of her and leaned down, kissing her gently.

"You did a hell of a good job today, Jen. In more ways than one."

"Careful, Jethro. Flattery will get you somewhere."

"That's what I was hoping for."

He kissed her again, tangling his hand in her damp hair, and she sighed, pulling him closer. His free hand found them hem of her (his) shirt and pushed it up, running his fingers over the smooth skin of her thighs. She moaned as his hand brushed her inner thigh and he moved his lips to her throat.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your hands?" she whispered.

"Might have mentioned it, yeah."

He touched her slowly, wanting to make the moment last, and when he finally slid his fingers into her, she moaned quietly. He kept his pace slow, and while he had expected her to attempt to make him move faster, she seemed content with his speed. Her hips rocked slowly against his hand as he kissed her, and his tongue danced over hers sensually. The ringing of his phone made him groan in frustration, and when he tried to pull away, she shook her head.

"Let it ring."

She kissed him again and he pulled back, looking at her seriously.

"Jen."

"Don't answer it, Jethro."

"I have to."

"Fine," she smiled wickedly, "but don't stop touching me."

He couldn't decide if she was serious or not, and when he picked up the phone with his free hand, she smirked.

"Yeah. Gibbs."

"Good evening, Jethro. I just wanted to call and check on both you and Jennifer. You're not experiencing any pain from your fall on the roof, are you?"

Jenny's hips met his hand slowly, and as he continued to move his fingers, he found it very difficult to concentrate on his conversation. Her head fell back as she bit back a low moan, and he suddenly remembered that he still hadn't answered Ducky's question.

"No, Duck. I'm good. Back might be a little sore for a bit, but nothing a few aspirin won't fix."

"And Jennifer? I know she was rather shaken up by the events this morning."

The redhead in question brought her lips to his throat and he shivered. God, he had to get Ducky off the phone. Quickly.

"She's fine. It's kind of late, Duck. Think I'm gonna call it a night."

"Of course. Give my love to Jennifer."

"Sure thing."

He hung up the phone, capturing her lips with his own and when he pulled back to look at her, she smiled innocently.

"I told you not to answer it."

"Rule three, Shepard."

She kissed him again, her hips still moving slowly against his hand and she moaned.

"God, don't call me "Shepard" right now."

He smirked.

"Ducky sends his love, by the way."

"For God's sake, Jethro, I do not want to be thinking about Ducky. You're going to kill the mood."

He nodded, kissing her again, and when he looked in her eyes, he thought he could detect a hint of pain in the bright irises.

"Tell me, Jen."

"Tell you what?' she gasped.

"How do you want this to go?"

His lips brushed against hers gently, waiting for her to make the next move. He knew she'd been feeling even more out of control since she'd stopped drinking, and he was going to do everything in his power to give that feeling back to her.

"Slow and easy, or hard and fast?"

She wound her hand into his hair, steadying herself with the other on his shoulder and her lips met his in a deep kiss.

"Slow," she whispered, "I want this to last as long as possible."

He nodded, lifting her from the stool, and her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her to the steps. Moving slowly so as not to drop her, he made his way up to the bedroom, and when he gently laid her on the mattress, she smiled, amused.

"That's a first."

He frowned.

"What?"

"Usually, you throw me. I don't think you've ever just put me down like that before."

"Never heard you complaining."

She shook her head, pulling him down to her. Her hands slid under his shirt slowly, and when she tossed it onto the floor, he smiled.

"You'd think by now we would just sleep naked."

She nodded.

"We do, sometimes. But it's still a little cold outside. Sue me for wanting to be warm."

He parted her legs slowly, kissing the soft flesh as he moved upwards and when he pushed her shirt farther up, his hands trailed across her stomach. She moaned as his tongue swept over her, her fingers threading into his hair and he lifted her leg over his shoulder. He moved his mouth up, tongue tracing over her hip bones, and as she arched upward, a low moan took the form of his name.

He dipped his tongue into the hollow between her breasts and she gasped as his fingers slid slowly inside of her again.

"Oh, God, Jethro..."

Kissing her again, he removed his fingers, smiling when she whimpered, and as he entered her carefully, she gripped his hair tighter. He hadn't moved this slowly in a long time, and when he finally found a rhythm that worked, he took pride in the way her breathing hitched. He touched her as he rolled his hips against hers, and her head fell back, giving him access to the smooth skin of her throat.

The mark from their last rough entanglement was still visible on her flesh, and he trailed his lips over it lightly. He sucked her skin between his teeth, careful not to leave a mark this time, and she moaned again.

"Oh, f-fuck...don't stop," she whispered.

"Come on, Jen."

She was close, that much he knew. She never begged until she reached a certain point, unless of course, he had reduced her to it during foreplay, and he kissed her again. He kept his lips on hers, wanting—needing—to feel her scream into his mouth, and when she arched into him, her grip in his hair tight, she didn't disappoint. He kept moving, reaching between them to touch her, and her eyes met his seriously.

"J-Jethro...I don't think...I can't handle—oh, fuck!"

Her second orgasm crashed through her, and he kissed her throat. His own climax hit seconds later, and she held onto his shoulders tightly as her body shattered beneath him.

"Jesus Christ, Jethro..."

He kissed her again, and she returned it weakly, her hand shaking as she reached up to run her fingers through his hair.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded, her eyes meeting his seriously.

"How did you know?"

He moved to the side of the bed, pulling her into his arms. Her skin was flushed, damp with sweat, and he smiled as he looked at her. She'd never looked more beautiful in his eyes.

"I know you, remember?"

"Sometimes, I think you know me better than I know myself," she agreed.

"I could say the same about you."

He kissed her damp hair, and ran his fingertips up and down her arm lightly.

"Don't let today set you back, Jen. You made it through, you were exceptionally brilliant, and you did it all without a single drink. You can do this. Days like this will always be hard, but you're stronger."

"Thank you. For everything."

He kissed her temple, smiling as he reached over to turn off the light.

"You're welcome."

She moved impossibly closer as they laid in the darkness and kissed his chest gently.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"By the way, according to office scuttlebutt, you called me your wife up on that roof."

He smirked, finding her eyes in the darkness.

"I had to talk him down somehow, Jen."

"Right..." she said sarcastically.

"We are engaged, if you recall."

"Don't rush me, Jethro."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs...you can't wait to marry me. Admit it. You're excited about it."

Kissing her to shut her up, he could tell she was smiling as he pulled away.

"You're right. I am excited about it. I've wanted to marry you for eight years."

"I never thought I would marry anyone. Never thought that anybody would want to marry me or even be with me that long. I always wanted to find someone who listened, someone who loves me, to make me happy. I guess that anybody's you."

She laughed and he kissed her again.

"So, you're going to take my last name, right?"

"I haven't decided."

"Come on...Jennifer Lucille Gibbs has a nice ring to it."

"Jethro," she sighed, rolling her eyes, "Lucille isn't my middle name, either."

He shrugged.

"Yeah, but it's fun to mess with you."

"So that's why you're such a pain in my ass at work...makes total sense now."

He laughed, pulling her closer to him, and she kissed his cheek gently.

"In all seriousness, I haven't decided. About my name, I mean. Shepard is all I have left of my father. My mother remarried awhile back, so I'm the only one left to carry the name."

He nodded, finding her eyes again, and he brushed her hair back behind her ear.

"It doesn't matter, Jen. Your name isn't what makes you my wife. You'll still be my wife even if you keep your last name. I completely understand wanting to keep that part of your father with you. It's your decision, and if you choose to do that, honestly, I think I would love you even more."

She frowned.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You're honouring his memory, and that's a beautiful thing."

His words were spinning around in her mind for nearly an hour after he'd fallen asleep, and as she curled her body into his, she decided that she would tell him what she had decided in the morning. After all, sleep was something she had precious little of, and she wasn't about to lose any of it over something as simple as her last name.

A/N: Will Gibbs ever get Jenny's middle name right? Hope you enjoyed!