A/N: In which Gibbs and Jenny have a little scare, and end up babysitting Tori.
Surprising even herself, Jenny didn't scream when she opened her eyes and saw her father sitting on the edge of the bed. He smiled when he noticed that she was awake and leaned over to kiss her forehead gently, oblivious to the confusion in her eyes.
"Dad?"
"Hey, little firecracker. You sure have a habit of getting shot, don't you?"
She frowned, still trying to figure out what in the hell was going on. A horrible idea came to her and her eyes widened.
"Dad...am I dying?"
The Colonel laughed and shook his head.
"No, Jennifer. You're going to be just fine. I just wanted to see you. Tell you how proud I am of the life you've made for yourself. You've grown up so much from that stubborn little girl who used to play soldier in the yard. You have a good relationship with your sister and her family, you've survived some of the most horrific torture that a person can endure, and you have a good man who loves you. I'd say you've done very well."
"I've got a pretty badass job, too," she pointed out.
Her father shook his head again, reaching for her hand. His eyes met hers seriously, and she found that she never wanted to look away.
"There are much more important things than work, little firecracker. Don't forget that. Gibbs loves you more than anything in the world, and that's more valuable than all the money you could ever have."
"I know," she said quietly, "I feel the same way about him."
He looked at her seriously, studying her for a moment, and nodded.
"Yes, I believe you do. I can't wait to watch you walk down that aisle."
"It's an outdoor wedding, Dad," she reminded him.
"Yeah, but you know what I meant. I'll be there. Even if you can't see me. Just know that I'll be with you."
She nodded, and he kissed her cheek, smiling as he pulled away.
"I love you, Jennifer. And I'm so proud of you."
"I love you too, Daddy."
"Jen? You okay?"
Jenny jumped at the sound of Gibbs' voice and nodded. He was standing in the doorway to the bedroom, and he fixed her with a confused look. She gave him a smile and when he turned away, she settled farther into the sheets and closed her eyes, not even caring that she was possibly losing her mind.
Finding his phone, Gibbs quickly dialed Ducky's number, hoping that he wasn't busy. When the doctor answered on the third ring, the former marine breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ducky, are you busy?"
"Not particularly. Why, is something wrong?"
"Jenny's hallucinating."
"I beg your pardon?"
Gibbs rolled his eyes, and bit back an angry retort.
"I went to check on her, and she was talking to her father. Duck, Jasper's been dead for ten years, and I can tell you for a fact that no one was in that room."
Ducky sighed and Gibbs tapped his foot impatiently.
"Check her temperature. A high fever could explain her deliriousness and it could also be a sign of infection, but we'll worry about that if it arises."
"Is it possible that it could be something worse? After she was hit, she didn't even realise it. She asked me if it was raining because she didn't understand that she was covered in blood."
"Jethro, don't borrow trouble. I'm sure that she just has a fever. I'll come by later and check her over, but for now just stay calm."
Gibbs thanked him and hung up the phone, walking into the bathroom to find the thermometer that he always kept under the sink. After locating it, he made his way quietly into the bedroom, his eyes never leaving the redhead sleeping in the bed. He placed his hand on her forehead, frowning at the heat radiating off her skin, and when he shook her gently, she moaned, shifting away from him.
"Jen," he whispered, "wake up. Just for a minute, then you can go back to sleep."
She shook her head, murmuring incoherently, and he shook her again.
"Come on, Jenny. Just long enough to see how high your fever is."
"I'm sleeping," she moaned quietly, "Go away."
He laughed and shook his head.
"Nope. Come on. Open up."
"Jethro, go away or you're never getting laid again."
He smirked, raising her up on the pillow and she opened her eyes to glare at him.
"You'd never make it," he replied, referring to her earlier threat, "It'll only take a minute."
She sighed, taking the thermometer from his hand and placing it under her tongue. He kissed her cheek as he waited, and when the tiny device beeped moments later, he pulled it from her mouth with a frown.
"Jesus, Jen."
"What?" she mumbled, already burying herself under the sheet again.
"You're burning up."
She murmured something so quiet that he couldn't hear her, and when he ran his hand over her hair, he wasn't surprised to find that it was damp with sweat. He set the thermometer on the bedside table and walked into the bathroom, running a cloth under cool water. When he returned, he placed it gently on her skin, hoping to lower her temperature and as his phone rang, he stepped out into the hallway.
"Yeah, Gibbs."
"Jethro, I'm on my way over to check on Jennifer. I should be there in about five minutes."
"Thanks, Duck."
"Anytime."
He hung up and returned to Jenny's bedside, sitting carefully on the edge of the mattress, and as he watched her sleep, he found himself wondering what she had said to her father, no matter if he had really been there or not.
Ducky frowned as he touched Jenny's forehead lightly, and glanced at Gibbs.
"She definitely has a high fever. I'm going to check for infection, so try to keep her still if she wakes."
He nodded, and the doctor pulled back the sheet. He carefully cut away the bandage covering the wound, and leaned closer. She shifted at his touch, but didn't wake, and as he examined the stitching, he smiled.
"Good news. No sign of infection. Once her fever breaks, she should be perfectly fine."
Ducky began wrapping a fresh bandage around the area, and Jenny moaned, opening her eyes slowly. She frowned at the doctor in front of her and when she spoke, her voice was slightly hoarse.
"Ducky?"
"Good afternoon, Jennifer. Sorry to wake you, but I needed to check for infection. You're doing fine."
She glanced at Gibbs and he ran his hand over her hair.
"You've got a pretty high fever, but it'll pass."
Nodding weakly, she closed her eyes and by the time Ducky had finished re-dressing the wound, she had fallen asleep.
Hours after Ducky had left and after making sure Jenny was comfortable, Gibbs had ventured down into his basement, needing to clear his head. Her words from the night of his father's funeral kept circling around in his mind and though he wished he didn't, he'd understood her reasoning perfectly. Before she had returned to his life, he would have willingly placed himself in front of a bullet to save any member of his team without thinking. He'd lived longer than he'd ever thought he would, and he had considered that good enough.
His team was young, and they deserved the chance to have families, grow old, get married. A chance Kate had never gotten. That Kelly would never have. It had never occurred to him that Jenny would feel the same. She was still young. Too young to risk her life for someone else's, especially if that someone else was him. He'd never forgive himself if she died to save him. Just thinking about it was enough to make his blood run cold.
Gibbs took a slow drink from his bourbon and as it burned down his throat, he found himself thinking about just how much Jenny had gone through in the past seven months. It would have destroyed a lesser person, and he'd never been more proud of her as he'd watched her overcome every challenge she'd faced. She'd fought for her life and won, more times than he cared to admit, and he found himself wishing that the next five months would pass quickly. The sooner she was his wife, the better.
Soft footsteps on the stairs made him turn and as Jenny made her way slowly down them, he frowned.
"Jen, what are you doing? You shouldn't be walking around."
She rolled her eyes and paused at the bottom of the steps to catch her breath.
"I couldn't stand laying around anymore."
He set his drink down and crossed the room, holding out his hand. She took it, and he helped her over to the stool in front of his table. He lifted her onto it carefully, refusing to let go of her waist until she had a firm grip on the table behind her, and he smiled as he kissed her cheek.
"How do you feel?"
"Better," she said softly, "I'm actually kind of hungry."
"Really?"
She hadn't eaten in nearly three days, and he'd never been more happy to hear that she was ready to attempt food again.
"Yeah."
"What do you want? Anything you want, I'll make it happen."
Jenny laughed, her slightly glassy eyes meeting his, and he frowned.
"The way you're acting, you'd think I was pregnant."
He shrugged.
"Just trying to help."
She placed her head in her hand and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the exhaustion she felt. He walked closer, his hand stroking her hair gently and when she looked up at him, he smiled.
"You want to know the real reason? Jen, I've almost lost you more than I care to admit these past seven months, and that scares me. You're the most important thing in my life, and I don't want to imagine my life without you in it."
"Jethro," she said quietly, her hand reaching for his, "I'm not going anywhere. I love you, and nothing in the world will ever change that."
She leaned forward, resting her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her carefully. He knew she was trying to stay awake, and he smirked when she yawned, burying her head deeper into his shoulder.
"Jen, go back to sleep."
She shook her head and glanced up at him.
"I need to stay awake."
"Why?"
"To memorise you. I don't want to let any moment go if I can help it."
He smiled softly, stepping back enough that he could look at her properly, and shook his head.
"Come on, Jen. I'll stay with you."
He could see her fighting it, but she finally nodded and he lifted her easily into his arms. Her head fell back against his chest and by the time he had made it up to the bedroom, she was sleeping deeply in his embrace. He smiled as he laid next to her, nothing if not a man of his word, and he was still smiling as he held her in his arms four hours later.
Gibbs knew, without even looking at her, that something was bothering her. She'd been sullen and despondent all afternoon, and if he was honest, it was beginning to piss him off. It had been three weeks since his father's passing, and she'd been given the all-clear by Ducky to return to work whenever she wanted, so he knew it wasn't boredom causing her mood. He hadn't seen her this agitated outside of work in awhile, and he frowned as he watched her from the corner of his eye.
She was attempting to read a book, and when she sighed as she read, he rolled his eyes at the sound.
"Something wrong, Jen?"
She frowned, looking at him over her book and shook her head.
"Why would something be wrong?"
He rolled his eyes again and she glared at him.
"Come on. You've been more than a little pissed all day. What's going on?"
As soon as he said it, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. She slammed her book shut, impressively loudly considering it was a paperback, and tossed it on the table. So she wasn't messing with him. Something really was bothering her.
"I'm perfectly fine, Jethro. If I seem a bit pissed off, maybe it's just you."
He frowned, and set his drink down, taking a step closer to her.
"Jen—"
"Not now."
She pushed past him, still moving a bit slower than normal, and he caught her by the arm. She glared at him, whipping around to face him, and blinked when her hair smacked her in the face.
"What are you doing?"
"Talk to me. What's wrong?"
Pulling her arm free, she shook her head and glanced at her watch.
"I can't, Jethro. I have to go. Now."
He frowned, looking at her seriously, and reached for her arm again.
"Where?"
"Upstairs."
"Why?"
"Does it matter?"
"Why, Jen?"
"I have to check my pregnancy test, Jethro! Or would you rather I just waited nine months and see what happens?"
He froze at her words, his hand dropping from her arm and he simply stared at her. She began walking to the stairs, and it was a few seconds before he took off after her, not willing to let her leave his sight. His mind was reeling, and he could only imagine how she was feeling.
"What are you talking about?"
She tossed him a look over his shoulder that clearly said Are you an idiot and he shook his head.
"You know what I meant. What makes you think you're pregnant?"
Jenny still hadn't answered him and as he followed her into the small bathroom, he frowned. She'd lined the three tests that she'd bought neatly on the sink, and she stole another glance at her watch.
"I'm late, Jethro."
At first, he was confused, then it dawned on him what she meant. He'd never stopped to keep track of her cycle, but he knew it wasn't something she would be mistaken on. Women were pretty consistent about keeping track, weren't they?
"How late?"
"Five days," she said quietly.
"Is that a lot?"
She shrugged.
"Mine's always been a little irregular, but it's never been this late."
Her mood suddenly made perfect sense, and he looked at her seriously.
"You're scared."
She punched him hard on the arm and he winced.
"Of course I'm scared, you idiot!" she hissed, "I don't want children. Don't get me wrong, I love Tori, and I know that you probably secretly want to be a father again, but I can't do it! I'm not meant to be a mother. I don't know the first thing about children."
She was trying not to cry, and she leaned her head into his chest.
"Jethro," she whispered, "what are we going to do?"
He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her bowed head.
"Nothing," he said simply, "We don't know anything yet. No use in getting freaked out about it now. Let's wait and see what the tests say first."
She nodded, and he tapped her head lightly.
"How much longer?"
Glancing at her watch, Jenny sighed.
"Thirty seconds."
Pulling away from him, Jenny began to pace around the small room, and he frowned as he watched her. If he were to be truly honest with himself, he was just as nervous as she was. He'd never considered having children again, especially not at his age, and he wasn't sure if it was even something he wanted.
He reached out and stopped her pacing, pointing to the sink.
"It's time, Jen."
She nodded, walking slowly over to the counter and then shook her head.
"I can't. I can't do it, Jethro. How could this have happened? We were so careful, we took every precaution, I don't think I can—"
"Jen. Calm down. It's negative."
She froze, looking at him in shock.
"You're sure?" she asked weakly.
He nodded, holding up all three tests for her to see. The tiny blue negative sign was quite possibly the most relieving thing she had seen in months and she sighed, placing her hand over her mouth.
"It's negative?" she whispered.
"Yep. That's what the little minus sign means. You're just late, Jen."
Jenny launched herself across the tiny room, throwing her arms around his waist and he smirked as he dropped the tests into the trash bin.
"I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear, but..."
"Actually, Jen, now that I really think about it...a baby at my age would be really difficult. I don't think I would want that."
She nodded, looking up at him with a serious expression.
"You're right. You're old."
His hand smacked the back of her head and he laughed.
"Not too old to kick your ass, Shepard."
Jenny rolled her eyes.
"Bring it, gunny. You don't scare me."
He leaned down to kiss her, and when his tongue swept into her mouth, she moaned, tightening her grip on his waist.
"God, Jethro...if it had been positive...what would people think?" she whispered as she kissed him again.
"They'd think we were having sex, Jen. Which we are."
She frowned.
"We are? Doesn't feel like it. You must be losing your touch, because I don't feel anything."
He yanked her hair to the side, kissing her throat, feeling her erratic pulse against his lips, and when he brought his mouth to hers again, she wound her fingers into his hair. His tongue danced over hers, causing her to moan into the kiss, and when he pulled back, she leaned into him heavily.
"Still don't feel anything?"
"No," she whispered breathlessly, "I definitely felt that."
He backed her out of the room, crashing her into the wall and he lifted her slightly off her feet. She gasped as he kissed her again and when he tried to pull her to the stairs, she stopped him with a shake of her head.
"We just found out that I'm not pregnant. Do you really want to risk tempting fate?"
He kissed her hard, pulling her against him.
"I have condoms," he reminded her.
She smiled at him and he grabbed her around the waist, throwing her over his shoulder. Her phone rang loudly in the silence, and she laughed as he carried her up the stairs.
"Jethro, my phone is ringing."
"Yeah, I hear it."
"I have to answer it," she laughed, swinging her feet in the air.
He tossed her onto the bed carefully, pinning her beneath him and he kissed her deeply, hoping to distract her. She groaned in frustration as her phone rang again and she pulled away from him, annoyed.
"Shepard," she answered breathlessly.
"Jenny, it's Heather."
"Oh, hey. What's up?"
Jenny tried to focus on her phone call, pointedly trying to ignore Gibbs trailing his mouth along her throat, and she bit her lip to contain a moan.
"Jenny, I hate to ask you this, but David's in the hospital. Something about his gallbladder. I'm heading there now. Is there any way you and Jethro could watch Tori?"
Sitting up quickly, Jenny pushed Gibbs away from her and he frowned at her sudden seriousness.
"Hang on."
She turned to face him, her expression serious.
"David's in the hospital. Would you mind if Heather leaves Tori with us while she goes up there?"
He shook his head, and she returned to her call.
"Sure thing, Heather. We'll watch her for as long as you need."
"Thank you so much, Jenny. We'll be right over."
Hanging up the phone, the redhead turned to face her silver-haired fiance and offered him a smile of apology.
"Guess we'll have to do a rain check?"
He laughed, kissing her gently.
"Yeah. You owe me, Shepard."
Jenny grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, writing quickly. She kissed him as she slid it into his hand and as she walked out into the hallway, she could hear his quiet laughter.
Jethro-
I owe you one long hot night filled with passionate sex and possible cuddling.
-Jen
Tori hugged Jenny so hard that the redhead was nearly knocked backward as the door opened and Gibbs smiled at Heather as he took the child's overnight bag from her.
"Thank you so much. I really appreciate this."
Waving away her words, Gibbs smiled again.
"Don't mention it. Always glad to watch her."
Jenny straightened up from her position on the floor and hugged her sister, her voice low in her ear.
"Give David my best. Try not to worry."
The younger woman nodded and looked at her daughter seriously.
"You listen to me, Victoria Elise. You do what Aunt Jenny and Jethro tell you to do, and I don't want to hear anything about you fighting them at bedtime. Understood?"
"Yes, Mommy."
She hugged her daughter, oblivious to the look on her sister's face, and when she had walked away, Gibbs looked at Jenny, frowning.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said softly, "I just never knew her middle name before now."
"Something wrong with it?"
She sighed, shaking her head. Gibbs walked over and put his arm around her shoulder, his lips brushing against her ear as he spoke.
"Consider it a compliment. She gave her daughter your middle name even though you weren't speaking at the time. Shows how much she loves you."
Jenny nodded and Tori chose that moment to walk up to her, tugging on the hem of her long shirt.
"Aunt Jenny?"
Looking down, Jenny smiled at the girl and tried to keep her emotions in check.
"Yeah?"
"Is my Daddy going to be okay?"
Jenny knelt down, looking at the tiny child and wrapped her arms around her.
"Yeah, Tori. His gallbladder is just a little sick right now. The doctors can take care of him."
Tori nodded, and Jenny released her, laughing as she immediately ran to Gibbs, reaching for his hand.
"Can I see your pirate ship, Jethro? Please?"
He winked at Jenny and looked down at the little girl seriously.
"I dunno, Tori. I heard my neighbours stole it and I don't know if they brought it back yet. Why don't we go look?"
"You can steal a pirate ship? I thought pirates were the stealers."
Jenny laughed and walked closer, reaching for her other hand.
"Let's go look, okay? Maybe they were nice enough to return it."
"Okay!"
Tori was practically jumping in her excitement and she ran ahead of the adults, and when she reached the basement steps, Gibbs frowned.
"Careful, Tori," he called.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than they heard the sound of Tori's feet slipping on the steps. Jenny ran towards the sound, fear gripping her as she skidded to a stop behind the little girl in the middle of the stairs. She knelt down, carefully examining the small scrape on the girl's knee and Tori looked at her with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said tearfully, " I didn't mean to."
"Shh, it's okay, sweetie," Jenny said gently, pulling her into her lap.
Gibbs handed her a cloth that he had grabbed from the bathroom and Jenny began carefully cleaning the scratch. It was small, nothing to worry about, but Tori's eyes were filled with tears that Jenny personally thought were more fitting to a bullet wound.
"Aunt Jenny?"
"Hm?"
"Am I in trouble?"
She smiled, running her hand over Tori's hair, and shook her head.
"No. What did you learn from this?"
"Don't run," Tori mumbled.
"That's right. Now, let's see if we can find Jethro's boat."
Tori glanced up, locating it instantly, and pointed excitedly.
"I found it!"
She stood up, hugging Jenny before she walked down the steps, and Gibbs held out his hand, helping her up from her place on the ground. Jenny smiled at him and, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him.
"You did great," he murmured, his lips warm on her ear.
She turned, kissing him gently and Tori's squeal of disgust made her smile against his lips.
"Gross! You're as bad as Mommy and Daddy!"
Gibbs smirked and Jenny leaned back in his embrace.
"Grown ups are weird..." Tori muttered as she crawled under the boat.
Jenny couldn't help it. She laughed, leaning her head on Gibbs' shoulder, and when Tori poked her head out again, her serious tone only made her laugh harder.
"Come on, Aunt Jenny! We need to check the ship for treasure."
Gibbs laughed as he was pulled down the steps and as he crawled under the boat, he wondered how he had ever let Jenny walk out of his life before. She filled the gaping hole that had been left by Shannon and Kelly's death, and he would be damned if he ever let her go again.
"One more story, Aunt Jenny! Please!"
Jenny shook her head as they walked up the stairs, and when Tori went into the bathroom to brush her teeth, she leaned against the wall, closing her eyes tiredly. Though she loved Tori, she had no idea how her sister managed every day. It was simply exhausting. Gibbs was faring only a little better than she was, but she knew that was because he was out of practice. He'd be fine in a few hours. As for herself...she'd need at least a week to recuperate from this. The bathroom door opened and Tori was looking down at her hand, confused.
"What's this, Aunt Jenny?"
With horror, Jenny realised that she was holding one of the pregnancy tests, and she reached out to pull it from her grasp.
"It's...it's a test."
Tori frowned.
"A test? Like a math test?"
Jenny laughed.
"Sort of. It's a pregnancy test. It's to tell if a woman is going to have a baby."
"Oh."
Relieved that the subject had been dropped, Jenny swept the little girl into her arms, heading for the stairs. She placed her gently on the bed, and as she settled down under the blankets, Tori smiled up at the older woman.
"Are you and Jethro going to get married, Aunt Jenny?"
Jenny nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"Yeah. In October. Would you like to be the flower girl for our wedding?"
Tori frowned.
"Is that the person who carries the ring?"
"No," Jenny laughed, shaking her head, "That's the ring bearer. The flower girl walks down the aisle and spreads flowers to make it look pretty."
Tori brightened at that, nodding enthusiastically.
"Okay! Do I get wear a princess dress?"
"You'd have to ask your mommy."
Jenny leaned forward, kissing her forehead gently, and smiled.
"Go to sleep, Tori. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night, Aunt Jenny. Love you."
"Love you too, sweetie."
When Jenny walked back down to the basement, she wasn't surprised to see Gibbs taking a drink of bourbon as he ran his hand over the boat. She knew he was checking to make sure Tori hadn't accidentally scratched the wood, and he turned when he felt her lay a hand on his shoulder.
"She go down okay?"
"She's not a toddler or an infant, Jethro," Jenny laughed, "But yes. She's asleep in our room."
He smiled at her words, touched that she'd called it "their" room, and he leaned closer, brushing his lips over hers in the barest hint of a kiss. He handed her the mason jar of bourbon and she frowned, looking down at it in confusion.
"Are you drunk?"
"Nah. But after the day we've had, I think you can handle one drink. One, Jen. That's it. Don't think I won't be watching you like a hawk."
She laughed quietly, tipping the glass back slowly. The burning of the liquid on her tongue was the best kind of fire she'd tasted in weeks, and she nearly moaned as she swallowed it.
"Thought women only got that look when they orgasmed," Gibbs deadpanned.
Choking on the liquid as she laughed, Jenny smacked his arm lightly.
"Jethro!" she gasped, "That was...oh my God..."
"I feel like I've heard that before. Those exact words."
"Oh?" she said, raising her eyebrow.
He nodded, moving closer to her.
"Yeah. Pretty sure. Kinda hard to tell. Maybe if you screamed them..."
His voice was low, his breath warm on her neck just below her ear, and she shivered as she raised her eyes to his. They were dark, causing her body to tremble as he brushed her hair behind her ear, and his hand lingered on her cheek as he kissed her gently.
"Jethro."
He had to give her credit. It took a special skill to be able to speak that clearly through the kiss he was giving her, and he sighed as he pulled away.
"What?"
"Tori's upstairs," she reminded him.
"Then be quiet, Jen," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
He kissed her again, hands tangling in her hair, and he lifted her off her feet, carrying her to the small couch in the corner. He made quick work of the shirt she wore, tossing it over his shoulder and his own soon followed. His hand slid under the waistband of her jeans and he smirked as her head fell back against the couch.
"Jethro..."
His name fell from her lips on a whisper of air, and just as he was about to pop the button loose, the basement door opened and they heard Tori's small voice at the top of the stairs.
"Aunt Jenny? Jethro?"
Gibbs tossed Jenny her shirt and within seconds they were both dressed and Tori walked down the steps, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Tori, you should be in bed," Gibbs said softly.
"I had a dream about Daddy. He's not gonna die, is he, Aunt Jenny?"
Jenny patted the spot next to her on the couch and Tori walked over to her, sitting as close as she could without being in her lap.
"Your daddy is going to be fine, Tori. Your mommy is with him right now, and she's going to be back to get you in the morning."
"Can I visit him?"
"I'm sure your mommy would like that."
Tori looked at her seriously, and Jenny frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm scared, Aunt Jenny."
Jenny lifted the little girl into her lap, holding her close, and Gibbs came to sit next to them, wrapping his arm around both of them.
"Tori, did you ever see Star Wars?" Jenny asked.
"Yeah," she sniffed, "Princess Leia is my favourite."
Jenny nodded, kissing Tori's hair gently, tightening her arms around her as she continued.
"Well, you know how Princess Leia was tortured by Darth Vader to give up the location of the rebel base? She was scared too. Everyone gets scared sometimes, Tori. That's okay. There's nothing wrong with being scared, Tori. But you also have to be brave. Even when you don't think it matters, even if you don't see the point. Being brave is better than running away because you were scared. Do you understand?"
Tori nodded, snuggling deeper into Jenny's arms, and Gibbs leaned over, kissing her hair gently.
"I'll try to be brave," Tori said softly.
"Just think to yourself, "Be like Leia", whenever you feel scared. Try that, okay?"
"Okay."
She was beginning to fall asleep again, and Jenny stood, carefully carrying her to the steps. Gibbs stopped her just as she was about to walk up them, and held out his arms.
"I'll take her. Don't want you putting too much strain on your leg."
Rather than fight him, Jenny nodded, handing Tori over to him. She made her way tiredly back to the couch, collapsing on it as she ran her hand through her hair. Kids were definitely exhausting.
Tori stirred a little as Gibbs laid her on the bed, and she smiled as he held out his hand. Kelly's old rabbit was in his hand and the little girl took it from him, frowning.
"I'm seven, Jethro," she said, the exasperation in her voice reminding him strongly of Jenny.
He nodded.
"I know. But I was wondering if you could do me a favour. See, this rabbit belonged to my daughter, Kelly. She's not here anymore to take care of him, and I was hoping maybe you could do it for her. His name is Jack."
Tori nodded.
"I guess so."
"When you get scared, you can tell Jack all about it."
She held the rabbit tightly, and Gibbs smiled.
"You know how your Aunt Jenny told you to think of Princess Leia when you get scared?"
Nodding, Tori tucked Jack into the bed next to her and he tapped her nose gently.
"Your Aunt Jenny is braver than Princess Leia ever was. She's been tortured, kidnapped, and shot more times than Leia ever was."
"Was she scared?"
Gibbs nodded, looking at her seriously.
"Very. But she's the strongest, bravest person I know. Whenever you get scared, I want you to think "Be like Aunt Jenny". I'll tell you more stories later, okay? Maybe tomorrow, after your mommy takes you to see your daddy. Would you like that?"
"Yeah."
He kissed her forehead and wrapped the blankets tighter around her.
"Good night, Tori."
"Night, Jethro. Love you!"
He smiled.
"Love you, too."
When Gibbs saw Jenny laying on the couch as he walked back down into the basement, he smiled. He pulled her into his arms as he laid behind her, and she smiled as she looked up at him tiredly.
"I'm so glad that test was negative," she murmured.
He laughed.
"You and me both. No privacy, endless questions, I definitely couldn't do it again."
Kissing her temple lightly, he smiled as he breathed in the scent of her perfume.
"You were amazing with her tonight, Jen."
"I was so worried that I was going to say the wrong thing."
"Nah. You did perfectly. Get some sleep. She'll be up bright and early in the morning."
"Can't wait," Jenny yawned sarcastically.
Her breathing was slow and even, and he smiled again as he thought of what he'd said to Tori. She really was the bravest person he knew.
Heather smiled as Jenny opened the door and Jenny returned it tiredly. Just as Gibbs had said, Tori had woken early and after being entertained by stories about Jenny and Gibbs in Europe, she was now waiting on the couch, Jack the rabbit held tightly in her arms.
"Mommy! Can we go see Daddy?"
Heather nodded.
"Yeah. Were you a good girl for Aunt Jenny and Jethro?"
Tori bobbed her head up and down, suddenly remembering something.
"Mommy, how does a test tell you if you're going to have a baby?"
Jenny paled and Gibbs snorted into his coffee as Tori looked to her mother expectantly.
"I'll explain it to you when you're older. Why do you ask?"
"I found one in the trash."
Heather frowned, looking between Jenny and Gibbs, pointing to the door.
"Tori, why don't you go wait in the car? Say goodbye to Aunt Jenny and Jethro."
"Bye!" she waved as she bounced down the porch steps.
Heather fixed her sister with a serious look and Jenny found herself staring at the floor.
"You're pregnant?"
"No. Just a scare," Gibbs said, handing Jenny another cup of coffee.
"Oh. Well...was she well behaved last night? I can't tell you how much I appreciate you watching her."
Jenny smiled, hugging her sister gently.
"She was great. A little too excited about the boat, and she had a nightmare last night, but other than that, she was fine."
Heather nodded, and after thanking them again, she walked back to her car, eager to get back to her husband. Jenny closed the door, glaring at Gibbs as he burst into laughter when she walked closer. She punched his arm, and he held up his hands, still laughing.
"Come on, Jen! You didn't think you'd get off that easy, did you? She's a kid. She's gonna ask."
"Shut up."
"At least she didn't see us last night. That would have been a difficult one to explain away."
"Shut up, Jethro."
He pulled her into his arms, and kissed the shell of her ear lightly.
"I believe you owe me something, Director Shepard."
"I said I owed you one night. It's morning."
"Details," he shrugged, pulling her closer.
He led her up the stairs, and as he kissed her deeply, Jenny found that she didn't really give a damn about the details.
A/N: I can't even imagine how terrifying it must be to have a pregnancy scare. Kids are definitely not my thing.