Author's Note: I present to you the last chapter of 'Never As It Seems'! Warning though, it will be soooo out of character on Gibbs' part, cause you know... I had to make him a little heartbroken for this.

Thanks to all those who reviewed!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NCIS.

ENJOY!

She had been bawling in her bedroom since she came home from work. There were no words to describe how heartbroken she felt. Even 'devastated' didn't come close to it.

It was five minutes to midnight when she finally decided to take a bath and try to fall asleep, even though she knew it would be useless. In the shower, she swore she could hear footsteps outside in her bedroom, but when she turned off the water, they stopped. She thought the footsteps sounded like Jethro's, but chalked it up to her imagination, since she was missing him so much.

When she finished, she wore her robe and dried her hair before leaving the bathroom. The minute she stepped out, she saw the very person that caused all her pain – the very person she loved with all her heart.

"Jethro," she breathed.

He was dressed in a simple shirt and jeans but was holding one red rose and a purple hyacinth in his hand. She noticed that the room was illuminated only by various amounts of candles placed in her room, mand there were rose petals on her bed, arranged to form a small heart in the center.

He walked up to her and hugged her, tucking her head under his chin.

"I know you think I've cheated on you, Jen." He whispered, holding her tightly. "But I would never cheat on someone I love as much as I love you."

She didn't reply him; she was too shocked that he was doing this. In a split second, she almost wanted to cry onto his shoulder for a long time, but then she remembered the pictures, the note and the crying she had done the entire day.

She wasn't going to forgive him unless he had a damn good reason for her too.

"Why should I believe you?" she said coldly. His arms were still around her, but she made no move to push him away or hug him back. "Exactly how are you going to explain the photos?"

"They were taken a long time ago, Jen. From before we even got together." He explained, and he sounded so desperate for her to believe him that she almost did. Almost. "I was still with Hollis when this woman came up and threatened to kill her if I didn't leave her. She stalked us for a long time and kept sending us pictures of ourselves, reminding us that she was still watching. After everything, I gave the pictures to Hollis and told her to burn them. I swear I didn't cheat on you."

"That still doesn't explain how it got to me." Said Jenny, staring straight ahead.

"Hollis visited me a couple nights ago while you were working late, Jen." He whispered. "She came into the basement and told me she wanted to try again. I told her I was with someone I love, and I didn't want anyone else."

Hollis. Hollis, out of all people, sent those photos out of spite and jealousy, in hopes of breaking them up. Jenny remained unresponsive, because she really didn't know what to say. Should she believe him? Was this just another one of his many lies that he would tell just to hurt her even more?

A thought suddenly hit him – what if she was preparing to leave him? What if she was going to write another Dear John letter to him, explaining how she thought he could never really love her?

"Jen…" he said softly, "Are you leaving me?"

Again, she didn't answer. And he felt terrified – terrified that he was going to lose her again, and this time it would be his fault. He never wanted to lose her. He hugged her tighter and convinced himself that she was still here, and that he could still convince her to stay.

"Jenny, I can't lose you. You mean everything to me." He whispered, burying his face in her hair. "Please."

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him as well. But she wanted – needed – to hear him say that she wouldn't leave him.

"Jenny, I – I love you so much." He said softly. "I would never hurt you, let alone cheat on you. You're the only one. You have to believe me. If I lose you again… I won't be able to take it. Please believe me."

She closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder, tightening her arms around him. She couldn't bring herself to say anything to him – at least, not yet. She needed to know that this wasn't a lie. She had a hard time trusting him, even after all the things he said to her.

"Jenny, if you leave me now, you'll take away everything that ever made me happy." He said in a soft, broken whisper. She could feel his tears on her hair – they were falling at a fast pace, wetting her hair quickly. "Don't leave me now, Jen. Don't ever leave me, because I love you so much that I can't stand to watch you leave. You have to stay, because if you don't, my whole world will fall apart and my heart will break. You're the only one I love as much as I do, Jen. Tell me you'll stay." He pleaded, "Tell me you'll never leave."

After a few long moments, she finally answered him.

"You won't have to see me leave, Jethro." She told him, kissing his shoulder. "I'm staying."

He breathed a sigh of relief and Jenny looked up at him, wondering how she could be that important to someone. He still didn't unwrap his arms around her, just pulled back a little to kiss her passionately.

"Jen?" he said, a little breathless after their kiss. "Promise me you won't leave me alone, Jen. Promise me you won't even think about leaving me."

"I promise."

He smiled and she smiled back.

"I love you, Jethro."

"I love you too, Jen… so much."

So... yeah. Hope you liked it ;-)

By the way, the sequel to The Shepard Family will be posted at the end of next week. I'm thinking of adding a little onshot to this involving Hollis' reaction, so yeah. I'd love to hear from you guys!

Please Review!

- Nat.