Note: I LOVE Jack's background story as a POW (prisoner of war) in Afghanistan, and I love to use it in my stories. I wish they would use her military background more in the storylines like they did more in season 15 and put her out in the field. She was so badass when she and Nick were in Afghanistan in 15x10.

Jacks office

It has been about a month since Jack had a chat with Ducky. The dream hasn't reoccurred since then, so Jack has been telling her self that it probably just was a dream and her mind just playing tricks on her. She just needed to tell someone about it to get it out of her head. She knows Ducky won't tell anyone, so she is perfectly fine with that he knows.

Gibbs walks into Jack's office. She is sitting on the couch, trying to look through some files. Jack looks tired. She has an empty coffee mug on the table next to her files.

"long night Jack?" Gibbs asks and hands her a cup of coffee.

"Thanks, she says as a yearn escapes.

"sorry. I couldn't sleep last night," she explains and takes a sip of her coffee.

"why?" he asks and sits down on the chair across from her.

"nightmares." She admits.

"Afghanistan?" he guesses, and she nods.

"yeah." She looks down. "the case, with lieutenant Jones, who suffered from PTSD after he came home from Iraq." Jack explains.

"He was a p.o.w. for 6 months, Jack. You can relate to him, Jack."

"I could have been him, Gibbs," Jack says. She almost sounds irritated with him. The moment she sees how concerned he looks at her, she feels terrible and looks down.

"sorry." She says.

"don't apologize, Jack. You went through hell."

"I got into a lot of fights after I came back. I was ordered anger management."

"you took the help you got. You let people help you. lieutenant Jones didn't." Gibbs explains. "he self-medicated instead." Gibbs explains. "you are not like him."

"I can't sleep." She admits.

"what will help you get some sleep?" he asks.

"I don't know. The worst part is being alone. I spend days in that hell hole alone after they were killed."

"come over to my place." Gibbs offers casually.

She looks surprised at him.

"you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll be there if you need anything. You won't wake up alone." He says and gets up. He steps over and places a kiss on her forehead.

"get some rest, Jack." He says, almost whispering before he leaves her office.

Gibbs's house

Jack comes over to Gibbs's home and places her bag on the floor and takes off her jacket and her shoes. She has stayed over at his place before but never like this. She isn't quite sure about this, but something is comforting about knowing Gibbs will be there if she has another Afghanistan-nightmare. Gibbs comes walking down the stairs. He has changed into his comfortable jeans and USMC-hoodie. She should be used to the sight of him in his casual outfit, but for some reason, it still catches her by surprise how relaxed Gibbs seems. As he walks down the stairs, he notices how she is looking at him.

"ya 'kay Jack?" he asks as he is standing right in front of her. She is snapped out of her train of thought.

"yeah."

He grabs her bag, and they walk into the living room and sit down on the couch. There is a strange, awkward atmosphere, which is unusual for the two of them.

Jack sits down on the couch where he has already found some beddings for her for the night.

"Gibbs, it is lovely of you letting me stay over. I don't know why my nightmares about Afghanistan have come back. They have been gone since we arrested Masahun." Gibbs walks over at sits down next to her. He wraps his arms around her. She leans into him, and he places a kiss on top of her head.

"he can't hurt you anymore, Jack." He whispers into her hair. It makes her feel safer even though in her mind, she knows Masahun can't hurt her; he still haunts her dreams. For almost a month now, she hasn't had any of those strange dreams of Gibbs… or whoever it is… coming into her office when she is sleeping and putting a blanket over her and kissing her on the forehead. Even though she'd rather have those dreams… although they are freaking her out a little bit… then she wants to have nightmares about Masahun and Afghanistan.

As she is resting comfortably in Gibbs's arms… she is convinced that those dreams about Gibbs were probably just her mind playing tricks on her. She was convinced for a while… especially after her chat with Ducky… that they were real, and Gibbs was just avoiding the confrontation… which is probably what he would do if it was him sneaking into her office and nursing her while she was sleeping… but now she is convinced it was just her mind playing tricks on her. She has been emotional lately witch everything that has been going on with Ziva's return and the threat on Gibbs's life from Sahar and Faith starting to connect with her slowly again and her chats with dr. Grace Confalone about her feeling lonely.

It was just a dream and nothing else.

That is what Jack is reminding her self off as she drifts off to peaceful sleep in Gibbs's secure arms.

Jack is slowly waking up. She is gradually waking up. Her eyes are closed as Jack is listening to the sounds in the house. She hears Gibbs walking around the house. Jack can almost visualize his movement base on the sounds of his footsteps. She has been here many times by now that she has become very familiar with the sounds in the house. Jack hears his footsteps coming up the stairs from the basement. The steps are getting closer to her, and she hears the sound of a glass bottle being placed on the coffee table right next to her. She hears his knees cracking as he kneels down next to her. A blanket or another kind of cover is gently pulled over her. She is starting to have a Deja-wu from her dreams yet again. She tries to convince herself that it is just a coincidence, and it is only because she knows it is Gibbs that she thinks it is the same as in her dream. But when she feels his hand gently removing a strain of hair falling down her face and then she can feel his body heat from when he is leaning over her and gently placing a kiss on her face she is convinced that her dreams were for a fact real and it was him every time.

"I'll keep you safe, Jack." He whispers, almost not audible.

"I know." She says loud and clear and opens her eyes, which is clearly to his big surprise.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I was." She says and turns her body, so she is lying on her back and looking straight at him. He has kneeled next to her between the couch and the coffee table.

"I didn't mean to wake you. I just found a blanket. You seemed cold." He explains and stands up.

"stop." She says, demanding and sits up. She is rubbing the sleep out of her eyes while he is just looking at her, confused. "stop hiding, Gibbs." She says and looks up at him a bit irritated. "over the past few months, I have had the exact same dream repeatedly…"

"It was just a dream, Jack," Gibbs says with a sideways smile and a shrug.

"no, Gibbs. I know it was real, and it was my subconsciousness telling me that you were there. You came into my office when I was taking a nap. You put a blanket over me. just like you did." She says persistently. "I felt your hand touching my face. You placed a kiss on my temple. Just like you just did."

"I have don't that before, Jack. It was probably just your subconsciousness reminding you of those times." He says casually.

"I have had the same dream at least 3 times. What is it that you always say? No such thing as a coincidence?" she says and looks up at I'm with a persistent look.

"Jack, it was your subconsciousness playing tricks on you," he says with a smile and starts walking towards the kitchen.

"You are behaving like a teenage boy who was cut with his hand in the cookie jar." She says, almost yelling at him. "why can't you just admit you care about me? what are you afraid of?"

"afraid?" he asks in the same raised voice.

"yes, afraid." She repeats and stands up and walks closer to him. They are standing in the middle of the living room, just staring at each other.

"Ducky was right. You are afraid to show that you care because you are afraid to seem weak."

"weak?" he repeats in a raised voice. He seems angry now.

"Every time something gets too personal or emotional for you, you shot down or hide behind that charming smile of yours." She yells.

"you talk to Ducky about me?" he asks irritated.

"he asked me about my dream, that was all. Nothing too personal." She reassures in a frustrated tone. She is frustrated and angry with him, and she is trying to calm herself down. She wanted him to tell her why he has been nursing here in her sleep, but instead, they end up arguing.

"Gibbs…" She finally says in a more calm tone. "why did you invite me to stay over tonight?" she asks, and it makes him look at her again.

"to comfort you. You told me you couldn't sleep because of the nightmares. I know a bit about nightmares from combat too."

"so it was just as a professional courtesy between veterans?" she asks a little cold. He didn't mean to make it sound so cold.

"Jack." He says with pleading eyes looking at her.

"gosh, Gibbs, why is it so damn difficult for you to actually be human." She almost yells and throws her hands up in defeat. She turns away from him. She is so frustrated with him right now.

"maybe this was a mistake." She says and grabs her bag and walks by him. As she walks by him, he gently but firmly grabs her wrist.

"Please stay." He says, almost whispering. She isn't looking at him.

"will you please stay, Jack?" he asks again.

"Why?" she asks colder then she meant it to be, but she is tired of these games.

"I want you to." He simply says.

"Okay, on one condition." She says and finally looks at him. he is awaiting her demand. "those times where I have asked you if you were in my office, while I slept… where you in my office? Answer me honest."

It takes a moment for him before he finally says. "yes." Just the word she wanted to hear.

"did you place the blanket over me?"

"yes."

"did you touch my face?"

"just to remove a strain of hair that was bothering you."

"did you kiss me?" she finally asks. The question that has been bothering her the most. Did she just dream it because she wants it to happen, or did Gibbs actually kiss on the temple. "did you?" she asks when he doesn't answer.

"yes." He says and quickly adds. "only on the temple."

"Just do me one favor, Gibbs." She says with a stern look on her face. "if you want to kiss me, then do it while I'm awake." She says, and then she can't hide the smile on her face anymore. He steps closer to her and wraps his arms around her lower back and pulls her into him and presses his lips against hers. He is delighted when he feels she is kissing him back.

"I wasn't sure you wanted this," he says, against her lips, and he can feel her lips curve into a big smile.

"Just be quiet." She says against his lips and kisses him again.

They finally break the kiss for much-needed air. Gibbs walks to the kitchen to grab two glasses for the bottle of bourbon he brought up from the basement. Jack has sat down on the couch. Gibbs sits down next to her and pours the liquor and hands her a glass. They take a sip of their drink and then place the glasses back on the table. Jack snuggles closer into Gibbs's side and hugs his torsos.

"wow, you a possessive already." He jokes and places an arm around her and holds her closer as he places a kiss on her forehead.

"get used to it," Jack says and snuggles closer to him. He reaches over behind her and grabs the blanket on the couch and pulls it around her.

"are you going to sleep on the couch with me tonight?" she asks and looks up at him.

"I wasn't really planning on you sleeping on the couch tonight." He admits with a shy smile.

"Really?" she asks, deciding to tease him a bit now that he is finally opening up his more vulnerable side of himself towards her. "I can sleep on the floor if you prefer instead." She jokes.

"then I am going to sleep there with you," he whispers into her hair and presses his lips against her hair. He can smell her shampoo. It feels so great having her in his arms, her head resting against his chest. She is so relaxed.

"you know…" she says, almost mumbling. "my dad told me to never spend the night with a guy on the first date." He says. He starts to chuckle, and so does she.

"well, you have spent so many nights over here over the past 2 years, so I don't think that applies for us anymore."

"well. my dad always told me to be very careful when a guy invited me to stay over for the night."

"I promise I will keep my hands to my self," he whispers into her head.

"you have been kissing me in my sleep." She says, almost accusing and sits up to look at him. "I think we are past that step too."

"only on the temple." He says defensively.

"Okay, fair enough…" she says and leans in and kisses him.

As she leans her head against his chest and hugs him, and he rests his arm around her and hugs her closer to him, she is thinking to herself that this was definitely a dream coming true and definitely a dream she didn't want to wake up from.