He'd been up on the deck when she'd come back onto the Reagan by helicopter. Had watched as she exchanged a few words with the woman that came out of the aircraft escorted by Fritz and Calhoun. He'd been unable to make out what she was saying, but the fact that she touched the other woman's hand briefly and smiled encouragingly at her had come as a bit of a shock.
And now here he was at her door.
He lifted his hand to knock and let it fall back down, knowing that she wouldn't answer anything if the look that she'd flashed Di Nozzo on deck as he'd taken the Somali woman into custody was anything to go by.
The door opened with the invasive noise of metal on metal and she jumped, turning around to glare at him.
"I hate it when people sneak up on me" she said, standing up.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine" she replied.
"Jen..."
"Just let it go, Jethro."
There was a faint hint of pleading in her voice, as if she didn't want to relive the moment that she thought she might die again.
"I need to know what happened" he said taking a step towards her.
Unconsciously she took a step back.
"You've been interrogating the poor woman for ... three and a half hours" she said, looking at her watch in exasperation. "I am sure nobody can resist the Gibbs glare. Just as I'm sure you learned nothing more than I've already told Agent Perellos. You know what happened. You don't need to hear it from me."
He looked away from her intense gaze. He'd been angry. Angry at the situation; angry that he'd made the wrong decision and stayed with the body instead of doing his job to protect her. And from the look of things she had quite a bit of anger of her own waiting to erupt.
She sighed and took a sip of the glass that he hadn't been aware of in her hand, because he had been staring relentlessly into her green eyes.
The look he gave her told her that he wasn't leaving until he got a verbal report of the afternoon's events.
Jen sighed again.
"She followed me into the bathroom. I didn't think anything of it until she pulled a weapon."
She paused and took another sip from the glass. Gibbs took another step towards her and uncurled her fingers from the glass; setting it down on the desk nestled in the corner of the small room.
"She looked so determined" Jen said - and he didn't miss the understanding in her voice even if he didn't fully comprehend it. "But she was so scared."
"You feel sorry for her?" he asked incredulously.
"Someone was threatening her family, Agent Gibbs."
He didn't miss the use of his title either.
"What would you do if someone hurt the people you hold most dear?" she demanded.
And in spite of himself Gibbs' thoughts drifted to a lifetime ago. To the day he'd lain in wait - holding his target, his quarry, in the sight of his rifle and easing the trigger. He shook his head slightly, not wanting to think about Shannon and Kelly, no matter how much the woman standing in front of him made him do so.
She seemed to sense something in his memories because she took a step forward, a minute amount of the hostility bleeding away from her body language and her gaze.
And suddenly it was his turn to take a step away.
"She wasn't a professional" he stated.
"We both know there is no way I could talk a professional down, Jethro. I'm good but I'm not that good" she said, a small amount of amusement flickering across her face before it was pushed down and the fear crept back in.
Gibbs smiled a little.
"Have you heard from Melvin?" she asked suddenly, realising there hadn't been time to check amidst the drama of the day.
"Out of surgery. He's expected to make a full recovery."
She nodded once before turning away, and Gibbs didn't have to be an expert on people to know that she was scared, worried for the health of her bodyguard and generally wound too tight. The whole operation had taken its toll on both of them. It seemed liked he had been with her for months, when in fact it had been a matter of days. He was no longer surprised that Melvin was so devoted – and he knew it had nothing to do with chemistry. She'd earned his loyalty. It was something she seemed to be good at – which possibly explained why she had been able to talk the woman down in the first place.
Something about the way her shoulders shook once had him placing a hand on them. He didn't want to see tears but he knew they were forthcoming.
"He's going to be okay, Jenny" he said quietly as he turned her towards him - not missing the way she shivered slightly at his use of her name.
Her bottom lip trembled and a tear slipped down her face. Gibbs lifted his hand, automatically, to wipe to wipe it away. But before he could she swiped at it angrily, hating her show of emotion.
It came as a rush that he was in way over his head. But there was nothing he could do to stop himself pulling her against him and wrapping his arms around her. He didn't usually do well with emotion; with crying women. He wondered briefly how many women he'd held whilst they cried. Despite his many marriages the number was few. He didn't question his need to tighten his arms as he felt her body shake, but just let himself run his hands through her hair and whisper his own brand of comfort as she sobbed into his jacket.
"I suppose it sounds like a boast to say that I never cry" she said, raising her head after a while.
"It's been a rough day" he said, knowing he should be letting her go.
Jen nodded, and Gibbs let her go when he felt her pull away gently.
"Been a rough six months" she said.
"That too" he said with a small incline of his head.
He looked down at her green eyes. More tears threatened to spill over, and he unconsciously reached out and brushed one from her cheek - his palm against the side of her face, his thumb stroking over her cheek bone. She leant into the touch, her eyes sliding closed.
"Wanna talk about it?" he asked, not quite sure what had possessed him to ask.
Jen shrugged.
"The divorce was ... bitter. I threw myself into work. And it's my fault Melvin's hurt. Again."
Gibbs raised his eyebrows at her.
"He got cut in Afghanistan two months ago. And we had a near miss in Iraq the month before that. Today makes it three times this year alone."
He could hear the weariness in her voice.
"I think perhaps it's time I packed this in. Far too many risks, Jethro. I can't reasonably keep asking this man or any man to put his life on the line for mine. I'm surprised Melvin's stuck around so long."
Gibbs wasn't sure what to say.
"We do what we have to in this job, Jen" he said gently.
Jen's eyes searched his.
"How have you been?" she surprised him by asking, her hand rising to his cheek.
Whatever he'd been expecting it certainly wasn't tenderness in his regard. It threw him off-balance, and as the moment stretched all he was aware of was her thumb grazing his stubble.
"God Jethro, what a mess" he heard her whisper as she brought his forehead down to hers.
He was sure she'd intended the kiss to be gentle; designed to offer comfort. Support rather than anything else. But the moment her lips touched his he was back in the hotel room, nothing holding him back but a few stray articles of clothing.
Jen seemed to sense the shift in him and tugged on his pants, bringing his hips closer. Shifting against them and grinning against his skin when he dragged his mouth away with a muttered curse. She didn't let him get his breath back, before she pulled him towards her again, her hands on his face, her mouth over his. His hands went into her hair and angled her head, placing kisses to her neck, enjoying the sounds being emitted from her that had kept him company during the nights for the past six months.
Her hands found their way under his shirt and splayed across his back, he arched under her touch, causing their hips to grind together. She hadn't realized that they'd moved until her back gently hit a wall in the small cabin and Gibbs had pushed her jacket off her shoulders. He continued to kiss her, his tongue causing havoc with her senses, as his fingers slid down her neck and across her collar bone. Fingering the collar of her blouse first and then her skin. She shivered in anticipation as he undid the top button and his fingers slid inside and ran along the lace of her bra.
Jen arched into him again, and his thigh slid between hers. She rubbed against him, feeling just how much he wanted more. She ran her hand down his stomach, feeling the way the muscles quivered, and her fingers traced the outline of him through his pants. There was no denying the rush of arousal in both of them, but when her hand fumbled with his belt, his mind chose that moment to come crashing back to reality.
He was here to protect her.
He pulled back and she stared at him, eyes dark with desire. Her lips swollen and parted.
"Jen..." he began.
She silenced him with her lips again, running her hands down his sides and back up against before curling around the material at the front of his jacket.
He dragged his mouth away, not wanting to let this go too far, but not denying the need. The need to feel her under his hands once again. Her hands clenched around the lapels of his jacket and pulled him back to her once again. He braced his hands beside her head to stop himself falling into her. He pushed away from the wall, trying to ignore the look of hurt that flashed across her face.
She took a step forward, her hand seeking his face again.
"Jethro..." she whispered.
But he took a step back.
"I'm here to protect you, Jen. I can't do that if we're..."
He trailed off. He wanted nothing more than to take the step towards her, but he was alone now. Melvin was no longer able to watch out for Jen with him. And he knew he couldn't watch her if he was lost in her.
Jen gazed at him for a moment and then she smiled.
"I won't need protecting forever, Jethro" she said softly.
"I know..."
He reached forward and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"Perhaps after the summit is over .." he began, leaving the offer hanging in the air.
She gave him a nod.
"After the summit" she said, pressing one last soft kiss to his mouth.
V and E