Chapter 9

It had almost been three weeks since Gibbs had begun to ignore any and all of Jenny's attempts to contact him. Almost three weeks since he had seen Jenny with another man and had felt like his heart was being torn in two. There wasn't a moment that went by that wasn't full with thoughts about her. Meanwhile Jenny was getting worried.

She didn't understand what had changed in the two hours she'd slipped out. She knew lying to him about where and who she'd gone to see, but she didn't want to worry him with it, at least not yet.

Gibbs knew turning of his phone and working on his boat while drinking bourbon wasn't a good idea to bottle up his feeling but that wasn't a good idea but it was all he'd ever done, all that he knew.

Finally Jenny had had enough and so she left Tony and Abby at their friend Kate's house for a sleepover while she herself got all glammed up in a short green dress, accented with sparkles, a light green jacket and matching high heels, she wore her hair down and curled naturally and she headed to NCIS.

She walked out of the elevator and into Gibbs' bullpen and walked over to the area where she remembered Gibbs' desk being when she'd visited the other month, but he wasn't there, she huffed before running her hand through her red curls in frustration.

"Can I help you Ma'me?" Jenny turned to find a younger, tall, dark haired, dark eyed man.

"I'm looking for Special agent Gibbs" she told the younger man.

"Ugh, I think you just missed him" the man replied "I'm Will, Will Decker, I'm on Gibbs' team" he introduced himself, offering his hand.

"I'm Jenny, I'm Gibbs' ugh…." She wasn't sure what to say "Friend" she decided to go with before shaking his hand.

"Jenny" the redhead turned and recognised Stan burley, the agent that she'd met when she'd first come, the one that had given her and the kids a tour of the agency.

"Stan" she gave him a small smile.

"If you're looking for Gibbs you just missed him" Stan told her the redhead, noticing how she was all dressed up and just for their boss.

"Okay thanks" Jenny replied, she should have known that she would have had better luck looking for him in his basement. "Well I better go, you boys have a good night" she told them as she turned on her heels and headed back to the elevator.

She stepped inside only to find someone already in there, she recognised the man under his long dark brown trench coat and matching fedora and he recognised her too, "Ah Jenny isn't it?" Ducky asked her.

Jenny nodded "Dr Mallard" she gave him a small smile as she stood in one corner of the metal box and he stood in the other

"Are you here to see Jethro?" he asked her, Gibbs hadn't mentioned the redhead in a couple of weeks and avoided even having to mention her so he wondered if they were okay.

"Yes but it seems I've missed him again" Jenny sighed.

Ducky watched the redhead for a moment "Is something the matter between you and Jethro my dear?" he asked her after a moment.

Jenny shrugged her shoulders "I don't know" she admitted "For the last couple of weeks he's been ignoring my calls and avoiding me….I don't know why and it makes me worried about him" she admitted not sure why she had opened up to a complete stranger but she soon figured if Gibbs could trust him then she could too.

The ME knew that something was going on but he didn't know why his friend was acting this way, he also knew that he had to do or say something "Don't give up on him" he told her after a moment "Jethro is a very private, stubborn person, he doesn't let many people in, you just need to give him time" he continued "You and your children are the best thing to happen to Jethro for a very long time and I've seen him go through all of his wives and I've never seen him so happy with anyone"

Jenny couldn't help but smile "I won't give upon him" she assured Ducky "He's the best thing that had happened to me" she told him "I really care about him" she said as the elevator stopped on the floor that she wanted.

"Then I think you know where to find him" Ducky told her with a small smile, Jenny nodded before walking out of the elevator, to the Gibbs cave it was.

….

Gibbs should have known she would come to him eventually and that when she did she would be all dulled up just to get his attention and let him know what he's been missing for the past couple of weeks.

He heard her heels as they clipped and clopped against the floor boards above him and then the sound of his basement door opening followed but he didn't turn around to look at her, he already knew she was there her perfume had already assaulted his senses.

"Who would have guest I'd find you here" Jenny joked, breaking the almost awkward silence that was settled between them.

"Well this is my house" Gibbs grumbled as he concentrated on sanding his boat.

Jenny pursed her lips before walking over to him and leaning against the shell of the boat "Need any help?" she asked raising an eyebrow at him, memories of the first time she'd helped him with the boat and what entailed afterwards clouding her mind.

"Nope" Gibbs answered just as gruffly as before and it cut Jenny even more, she didn't understand why he was being so cold to her.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked him with her hands on her hips, her tone loud and full off anger and annoyance.

"Nothing" Gibbs moved a little away from the redhead, he couldn't get distracted by her, let him fall into her arms, not when she was lying to him, possibly cheating on him.

"We haven't spoken or anything in three weeks, there has to be something wrong" Jenny insisted going to touch his shoulder gently only have him flinch, it hurt her more than she could describe.

"Maybe you should go talk to your other boyfriend and he can shed some light on the situation" Gibbs told her moving from the shell of his boat to the work top where his half bottle of bourbon was waiting for him.

Jenny was stunned for a moment "Other boyfriend?" she asked him, completely confused, where could he have got that crazy idea from?

"I'm not stupid Jenny" Gibbs told her "You can't just play with my heart like that, let me think that we had something and then actually find out your just using me as a babysitter while you go out and meet another guy" he ranted to her, all the thoughts that had been rolling around in his head.

"I never did that" Jenny yelled at him in her defence.

"I saw you with him , walking arm in arm back to your apartment laughing" he said pointing a finger at her before taking a sip of his bourbon. Jenny's face broke out into a smile which only hurt Gibbs more "This isn't funny Jen" he told her his voice full of anger.

"Jethro" she said putting her hands flat on his chest "That guy you saw me with was an old friend from school" she told him "And he's gay and happily married" she added.

"Why were you meeting up with him then?" he asked her, his hands going to keep hers on his chest, his thumb rubbing circles on the backs of her hands, he couldn't describe the relief that was going through him.

"He was returning my call" Jenny told him, the question of what call lingered in the air "I called him because of the case" she said.

"What case Jen?" Gibbs asked her, his voice full of worry.

"Ed sent me papers a couple of weeks ago, telling me that he wants full custody of Abby and Tony" she admitted.

"No" Gibbs shook his head, how could Ed want full custody of the kids, want to take them away from their mother who had raised them when Ed had hardly been there.

"Apparently he can give the children a better life than I can, he's got a new Job, a house, really got it together and I apparently haven't" she admitted with watery eyes "So I needed a lawyer and I called him" she told him, looking up to meet his eyes "I can't lose them Jethro, I don't know what I'd do if…." She began.

Gibbs pulled the redhead into his arms, if he didn't feel a jackass before then he did now, leaving her when she was going through all this, when she needed someone to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. He ran his hands down her back and held her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head "Everything's going to be okay" he told her "We'll fight for Abby and Tony, we won't let Ed take them away" he told her.

"We?" Jenny asked him after am moment, her eyes full of tears.

Gibbs nodded to her before wiping a stray tear from her cheek "You're not doing this on your own Jen" he said before kissing her, cementing that fact, "I'll be by your side not matter what" he assured her as she buried her face in his muscular chest, taking comfort in his warmth, his scent and mostly the strength.

TBC…

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