A.N.: Many thanks to MatteaAM for providing the speaking lines of the flashback conversation between Mike and Jenny at the diner. I decided to flesh it out a little ;) Thanks again! Happy New Year everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

When Gibbs entered Jenny's office, Vance was seated behind her desk. He looked up in surprise which quickly turned to anger as Gibbs threw the door open, almost like he was trying to tell Leon that nothing was changing. Jenny would be back, so he was free to treat her office like he always did. Vance's glare didn't faze Gibbs, so he decided to get straight to the point.

"Agent Gibbs, welcome back." Leon plucked a tooth pick out of the pack that he had placed on the desk and put it in his mouth. He rose from the desk and began rounding it. "Agent DiNozzo explained the attacks on Director Shepard, both in the diner and in the hospital, to me." Gibbs found his gaze drawn to the tooth pick as Leon spoke, flicking it around his mouth between words. With effort he forced his eyes back to Leon's face as he drew closer. "It seems to me that this second attack was much more… personal… to you." Vance came to rest in front of Gibbs. "Would you know why, Special Agent Gibbs?"

Jethro knew Vance wasn't stupid, but this was something he didn't need to know about. This was his and Jenny's business and he wasn't about to let this vulture get any dirt on Jenny. He straightened up to his full height and glared at Vance, right in the eye.

"I only know that whoever wants Director Shepard dead will be found and dealt with, Assistant Director Vance."

Vance's face hardened and he spat his next words at him.

"Agent Gibbs you will not interfere with my investigation. When this suspect is apprehended I expect him or her to be brought to interrogation immediately. Is that clear?" Gibbs had the sudden urge to grab that tooth pick and stab him in the eye with it, the bastard would never see Svetlana, he would see to that. He gave one last glare to Vance and turned to the door. "I'm trying to help her, Gibbs, but your attitude is making it impossible for me to do anything."

Sure you want to help her, Jethro thought, into the ground so you can have her office. He left without a word, slamming the door as he went, leaving Vance shaking his head in frustration.

Jethro stormed down the stairs to the elevator. He had liked Leon when he had first met him, but he had turned into someone he couldn't trust. Somehow he had even developed a serious dislike for the tooth pick that Leon seemed to value so much. What was wrong with the guy? Jethro shook his head. He didn't brush or floss his teeth in the middle of the bullpen during a busy day. Why did Leon insist upon seeing to his oral hygiene in the presence of others? He shuddered at the thought of having to deal with the guy on a permanent basis.

He stepped out of the elevator on the ground floor and hurried over to the archives building. He didn't need McGee to decipher the code now; he already knew what the numbers were. When he had seen Svetlana in the picture message McGee had sent him he had realised what they meant. He convinced the man in archives to take a leak so he could take the case file, since the guy owed Franks a favour. He jumped in his car and drove back to the hospital, eager to be back with Jenny and Mike, the only other people who knew what was really going on, the ones he could talk to about what was happening. Well, one, until Jen woke up.

He got there in record time and swept through the corridors to the room she shared with Mike. He nodded to the detail at the door and they opened the door for him to enter, closing it as he passed through.

"Mike, you just got this file out of archives." Gibbs gave the file to the older man who nodded in understanding.

"Got it probie, you owe me." He stashed the file under his pillow and turned to try and give Gibbs a little privacy. He gave up when his arm protested and he groaned in pain. "If you want privacy, probie, draw the damn curtain."

Gibbs just shook his head as Mike tried to pretend he wasn't in pain. He thought about getting a nurse, but decided against it. He'd never hear the end of it. He sat on the edge of Jenny's bed, his now customary place, and leaned over her, checking her shoulder wound. Ducky had told him that if he was serious about looking after her when she was fit to leave the hospital, he would need to prove to the nurses that he could clean and re-bandage her wounds. Ducky had asked the nurses to provide him with a bowl of water and clean bandages so he could practice under his watchful eye. He had made Jethro repeat it five times before he was satisfied that he could do it without causing undue discomfort.

Gibbs smiled and peeled back the bandage and reached over for the bowl of water the nurse had left for him. The water was still warm and he dipped the sponge, and then gently cleaned the wound. Jenny flinched away from his touch. He felt his heart rate speed up and he hastily put the sponge back in the bowl.

"Jenny?" she didn't move again so he gently dried the wound. She flinched again, this time gasping as well. Quickly he changed the bandage and buzzed a nurse. "Jenny? Can you hear me?" she stirred, moaning softly as she tried to open her eyes, all the bruises and wounds making themselves known to her. Jethro looked over to Mike's curious face. "She's waking up."

----

The first thing she was aware of was pain. Her body ached and she felt the familiar burn of bullet wounds, the one in her stomach hurting the most. Her shoulder wound seemed to aggravate so she instinctively tried to pull away. Why was she hurt? She didn't remember much after getting to a diner… the diner… Decker's diner! She focussed on the memory, trying to follow it, but it was difficult, like wading through mud. She was talking to Mike… and then she was cleaning her gun… Mike left for water so she had decided to look out the window… She recalled seeing a car coming closer to them, Mike had left so she'd kept quiet, hoping he would at least get out of it alive... She'd readied herself to fire as the men burst through the door... She remembered shooting them as they filed in, but they saw her, she had managed to dodge a few bullets but then she was hit and fell back, her head hit the floor... she had struggled to stay conscious but her body seemed to shut down.

Mike! What happened to Mike! She felt panic grip her as she remembered that he had come back during the fight, drawing the attention of some of the men. Men, no women. Svetlana hadn't even come after her to kill her, so she would still be after Jethro. She couldn't stay unconscious when he needed her! Her shoulder flared up again and she sucked in her breath sharply as she tried to pull further away. What was that? She found that it was easier to think now, her memory was complete she was sure of it, so where was she?

"Jenny? Can you hear me?" Jethro! He was right by her; she could hear his heavy breathing and the concern in his voice. She tried to open her eyes but she was tired, the pain and wounds taking a toll on her body. "She's waking up." Who was he talking to?

"About time if you ask me." The reply came from a scratchy, deep voice. Mike? She tried harder to open her eyes, the lids parting slightly under her efforts. Light shone brightly in to her eyes and she immediately squeezed them shut and groaned audibly. She began to stretch slightly but stopped when the burning pain reminded her she was injured. She opened her eyes slightly once more, blinking rapidly trying to keep her eyes open.

"Hey Jen, you gave us quite a scare." Jethro was sat on the bed next to her, watching her carefully. She avoided his eyes and looked around, realising she must be in a hospital. She spotted Mike in the bed next to hers and gave him a quizzical look.

"Jethro? Mike? What happened?" He laughed softly and lifted his arm slightly.

"I got shot, you too. Thought you were going to bleed out for a while there, girl."

"What about… " she shot Jethro a look and Mike cleared his throat.

"I told him everything. Kind of had to when we both got taken out."

"Oh, he told me everything alright." The sudden switch from concern to anger was shocking, but not entirely unexpected. She took a deep breath and looked back at him, may as well get it over with. "Why didn't you say something Jen? Why is she still alive?"

"I just couldn't do it." she replied sadly. It just seemed to make him angrier.

"The time to tell me was 9 years ago! I could have taken her out for you! We could've tracked her before confirming the other kills! Did you just think you could kill her yourself and no one need know?"

"I hoped so; I didn't want anyone else to get hurt."

"Decker is dead, Jen! How did he even know she was alive when I didn't?"

"I didn't want you to be involved, Jethro. It's you she wants!" She couldn't believe that he wasn't getting the point. She had wanted to protect him; she always wanted to protect him. She'd been given the opportunity to do so and she had jumped at it. She would have happily died to shield him from Svetlana's wrath.

"Hey!! The nurse is here." A thoroughly annoyed Mike pointed to the woman showing her ID to the detail at the door. "Probie I suggest you leave, go cool off for a bit." Jethro gave him a hard look but Franks wasn't going to back down. "Some place else."

Gibbs turned and walked quickly away, passing the nurse on his way out. "I'll get some stuff from your house for you." He shouted to Jen over his shoulder as an afterthought.

"Well, I figured he would've been a bit more civil-"

"No, it's my fault; I should've been straight with him. Back then, back when we mattered."

"Remember, you're still young." He gave her a significant look and she gave him a small smile in return. She knew what he was talking about. The nurse approached Jenny and started checking her over, giving her plenty of time to think back to conversation they had had in the diner, when they had decided to tell a few truths.

*- Flashback -*

"I never said thanks." Jen looked over at Mike and he waved her off.

"Thank me later."

"When I first heard that Decker died of a heart attack, I was relieved." Mike gave her a strange look, somewhere between amused and confused.

"Gibbs did say you were complicated." She gave him a small smile and clarified what she meant.

"Relieved because I always knew that there was a chance this could come back to haunt us. And it's my fault. I made some choices I'm not particularly proud of."

"We all have."

"Even Gibbs?"

"He let you go." She met his eyes for a second and then had to look away. Another choice now, let him think it was Gibbs' fault and take her love to the grave or tell the truth. She made her decision and looked at her hands.

"No" she sighed "he didn't. He didn't fit in to my five point plan."

"Back to choices. You made your bed."

"What if I don't want to sleep in it?" she knew her voice sounded gloomy but she couldn't keep up the confident façade forever.

"Gibbs know?"

"Would it make a difference?"

"He came back didn't he?" It was a not too gentle nudge so she dejectedly replied with what she thought was another truth.

"Came back for the job."

"Yeah, that would explain all the conversations we had on my boat. You know, about the job." She looked back at him, the stirrings of hope in her heart. "You're still young; you got plenty of time to make it right." She smiled; she might try to make it right, if they made it out of this situation alive.

*- End of Flashback -*

"I know, Mike, I'm trying." The nurse gave them both some pain killers and then excused herself. Jenny found herself feeling drowsy and a glance at Franks told her he was feeling the same.

"Well, when I thought about sleeping with a beautiful woman, this wasn't what I had in mind." Mike's voice was slurring slightly, obviously the nurse had given them both a high dose. She couldn't let him have the last word though.

"You thought about it?"

"Who said it was you?" They both laughed until the medication took over, and they slipped in to unconscious.