Thanks to everyone for the reviews. I had to do a little creative work at the end to make it go with what I wanted to do later on in the story. But remember the almost sex in the basemet changed everything. Loved the bullpen conversation on the show and always felt it showed a little bit of how they both felt about the other, if only the writters had let them see what I saw. Hope everyone likes it started it at midnight wanting to get it up by today. Also meant for it to be longer but felt it was at a good place to stop it. Review and let me know what you think. Italic parts are thoughts.

Jenny sat up in her office trying to finish up some last minute work. The truth of the mater was that she had been trying to finish up this work for the past 2 hours and was no closer to being finished now as she was when she first started. Her mind just wasn't on her work; it was on a certain Agent. She didn't know what was going to happen between her and Jethro. When she accepted the job of director, she swore to herself that there was no way she was going to step back into a relationship with him and now here she was. She couldn't get her mind off what had almost happened in his basement. She admitted to him that she still wanted him. Then they came back to the agency to talk with Ziva and things had changed. She couldn't blame him, Kate was his agent and she was dead. Jenny knew how much he was hurt, even if he would never admit it. She also knew how much she hurt him by not taking his side in the whole Ari thing. She hated having to hurt him but she had to do her job. She still cared for him, maybe even loved him and this was the whole reason she was sitting up in her office dreading having to leave it. She had been avoiding having to see him. She looked at the clock and saw that it was really late. She had to leave so she could get home and get ready for dinner with CBS. She looked around her desk and saw that she had several files laying round that she had to look and sign before tomorrow.

"Never had to take paper work home before as a field agent." She realized what she said. "But you're not a field agent anymore Jenny, you're the director." She picked up the files she needed, put them in her briefcase and walked out the door. She walked out on to the catwalk and looked over her agency. She looked over to Gibbs desk and what she saw broke her heart.

Jethro was sitting in the bullpen alone. He was lost in his own little world, looking toward Kate's desk. That is when he saw Kate sitting at her desk, dressed in the clothes she was shot in, with a bullet hole in her head. "Re-evaluating your convictions. How many times did you tell me there's no such thing as a coincidence?"

He couldn't say anything back, there was nothing to say. He just continued to stare into empty space.

Jenny knew that he didn't hear her come down the stairs. When was lost in his own little world like that, it was easy to sneak up on him. She hated to see him this way. She knew he was second guessing himself and was killing himself with guilt. She needed to comfort him in some way. "Jethro."

Jethro's head snapped forward when he heard Jenny say his name. He was so lost in his own little world that he didn't even know she was in the same room with him, let alone standing in front of his desk.

"I know it's been a difficult day for both of us."

Jethro hated when people said this to him. He could remember his drill instructor saying that to everyone during basic training. He was a tough ass and would run Jethro into the ground every chance he got. Jethro hated him and never believed a single word he said.

"That's what my DI used to say. Never believed him."

Jenny felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She was trying to help him, trying to explain things to him but he was being an ass. She knew he was upset with her but there was no reason for him to be so cold to her. If that is the way you're going to be, the hell with you too. She turned around and started to walk away.

He saw the way she looked when he said what he said. It looked as though he had punched her in the gut. He hated the look on her face, what he hated more was that he had put it there. He didn't mean for what he said to come out like it sounded. He was tired and it had been a long, hard day. He also knew that the day wasn't a piece of cake for her either. He watched as she turned to walk away and knew if he didn't stop her, he would never get a chance again. "Jen."

When she heard him call out for her, she stopped. Jen. He called her Jen. Not Director or Jenny but Jen. No one was allowed to call her Jen and there was a reason for that that is what he called her when they were lovers. He would call her Jenny or Agent Shepard in front of other people but in private, it was always Jen. She also knew that he would say her name in different ways for different effects. In less than 24 hours he had said her name in longing, anger, and sensual but now he said it different. The way he said it now was how he would call out for her in Paris after having a nightmare. This voice was one that she could never turn away from. It broke her heart in two to hear his voice like this because he was calling out to her to comfort and care for him, to make the demons stop. She turned around and walked to where she was standing before. She gave him the look that said if you want to talk, do it.

"You going to dinner with CBS?"

"I am."

This idea scared him. He knew Ari, if he saw Jenny on TV and found out how important she was not only to the agency but also Jethro, he would not stop until he hurt her. "Don't do that interview." He knew he couldn't stop there. If he ended it like that, she was going to take it as an order and this was not an order, it was a request. He did the only thing he knew he could do to let her know how much this meant to him. He licked his lips to get himself ready to say something he never said. "Please."

She couldn't believe her ears. Leroy Jethro Gibbs never said please to anybody. She also heard the way he said it. He was begging her. He was scared. He really believed that not only was Ari the killer but if given the chance he would hurt her. She could honestly say that she had only seen Jethro this scared and worried one other time, when she took the round in the thigh. He told her later why he was so scared that day. He was scared that she was going to die in his arms and it would have been his fault. That she was going to die never knowing just how much he loved her. His admission to her was a huge shock to her then and now she couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same way now. Earlier she had every intention to do the show but knowing how much it meant to him not to do it right now, she couldn't. "I'll see if I can delay it a few days."

He gave a slight nod. "Good." He looked down at his desk. He was relieved. That was one less thing that was not on his mind. He didn't have to worry that Ari was going to come after her, he had no idea that she was even in the picture. This made him glad because if Ari ever laid a hand on Jenny, he knew that he would no longer just kill Ari, he would torture him.

Jenny could tell it looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. She couldn't believe he was that worried about her. Maybe he cared about her a little more than she thought. She thought about digging deeper to find out but decided against it. If Jethro wanted to tell her how he felt, he would. She still needed to leave to get to dinner and talk about the delay in the interview. She didn't know what she would say yet but she had to get it delayed, for Jethro. "Good night Jethro."

"Night." He watched her turn and walk away. He didn't want her to go. He wanted her to stay with him so they could talk some more about what was going on between them.

She walked toward the elevator. When she reached the door, she paused before hitting the button. She really thought about saying the hell with everything and going back to him but she couldn't. She had been the one to hurt him. She needed to know that he was willing to forgive her and wanted to talk to her. If she went to him and he didn't want her, she would be the fool. It would ruin any possible work relationship that they would be able to have. There was no way she would risk that relationship. She reached and hit the button. She turned and looked back at him one last time before the elevator arrived.

He heard her hit the button and knew it was now or never. If she got on that elevator, it was over. He stood up and walked to the corner of the bullpen, where she had been standing earlier. "Jen, wait."

She walked away from the elevator but stayed close where she could still get on when it arrived.

"Don't go yet. We really need to talk."

She walked a little closer to him. She heard the ding of the elevator and the doors open on it but knew that she wasn't getting on this one. She heard the door close. She walked up to him. "I think we should continue this conversation in private. Maybe you could come to my place and we could talk while I changed for dinner."

"I think that would work great."

They both walked to the elevator and hit the button. They waited for it to arrive and then got into the empty elevator. They rode down to the parking garage in silence. Jethro walked Jenny to her car and then went to his. He followed close behind her, allowing him to watch her since she didn't have to have a security detail yet. He parked right behind her car on the street at her apartment. He followed behind her as she went up the stairs to the door. He watched as she entered her pin into the doors security box. As they went in he looked around. He still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Unknown to either of them that they had missed several things that night. When Jethro called Jenny away from the elevator, they missed Ducky leaving. He was going home to check on his mother before his meeting with Ari in an hour. They also didn't see the black car that had been following them all the way from NCIS to her apartment. The driver was a young black man but there was someone else in the back seat. He watched as Jethro put a protective hand on the red headed woman's lower back as they went in the building. He thought to himself. To bad Jethro that you are not going to be able to enjoy this evening with that lovely woman. It is also too bad that I may have to hurt that lovely woman to get to you. He pointed a gun into the shoulder of the driver. "Drive on Gerald. Don't want to keep Doctor Mallard waiting." He drove past another black car, with someone sitting inside. He smiled and nodded at the driver as they went by. He turned on a hand held device that showed him a room in a house. This will allow me to keep my eye on you Agent Gibbs. Get ready for a night you won't forget.