Sorry for the delay! I intended on updating before the Fourth but I had a cheer accident that resulted in a concussion so... That put a damper into things.
Anyway. This is officially the final chapter, whether I'm writing an epilogue is up to you guys! Use persuasion. Lol.
I sorry the end chapter is short, but I didn't want it to ramble on and on.
Thank you everyone for reviewing and alerting this story!

Chapter 8

Jennifer Shepard walked the steps from her car to Gibbs' doorstep almost shaking in her nerves. She had his coat draped on her arm; having left it in her home the day he brought her 'death' to justice. They day that she had finally let go of the façade that was Genvieve Staton. Yes, she did have temporary amnesia from her accident in California but it had all come back to her slowly and then fully when she had suffered a head injury after meeting the team. She knew exactly who they were and was thankful that they had found it in them to accept her, even as Genvieve Staton and once again as Director Jennifer Shepard.

She had a small dinner in her home to celebrate the downfall of her enemies: Trent Kourt, Vance and finally putting the whole La Grenoullie thing to rest. Everyone important to her was there, except Gibbs. She had sent an open invitation for him and Hollis Mann to come into her home just as they had during that Christmas dinner but they didn't show up. It was up to her to make amends. She knew from her talk with Abby that Gibbs never mentioned her.

She walked through the door and down to the basement where she knew he was. It's where he'd always comes to think. It was the safest place he knew. It was why he brought her there in the first place.

"Didn't expect you to come here," Gibbs said hearing the floorboards squeak as she stepped on them. "Thought it'd take you longer."

"I'm not completely heartless, Jethro," Jenny said stepping down the flight of stairs to meet him on the final level. He was working on the new boat. Putting his finishing touches on it. It took her breath away when she realized that this boat was named after Hollis.

"Whatcha got there for me?" Gibbs asked her motioning at the dark coat draped over her arm. Jenny offered it to him graciously. "This is my favorite coat, you know."

"I know, Jethro," Jenny said with a smile remembering the reason why it was his favorite coat in the first place. "It was one of the first things I bought for you, as a gift, in France."

"Gave you a coat too," Gibbs said walking over to his work bench, clearing out a mason jar and dropping bourbon in it offering to Jen who had taken it without a thought. Gibbs repeated the process taking another emptied jar, pouring bourbon in it and taking a healthy gulp. "Left it on the plane with that letter."

Jenny sighed. It was just a matter of time before they had 'the talk.' It actually surprised her that they haven't talked about it. It'ds been nearly a decade… It hads been a decade since she left that coat on the plane with a Dear John letter and they still haven't talked about it. This talk they were about to have was long and overdue and she knew that if they don't clear the air now, either start from the beginning or end this thing between them, then they wouldn't get anywhere in life.

"It was never my intention to hurt you, Jethro," Jenny started. She looked at Gibbs who didn't look at all phased by what she had said. "I'm sorry if I –"

Jenny stopped trying to look at Gibbs for any reaction at all. She was getting a blank look as a response.

"Well, I just came here to give you that back," Jenny said motioning to the coat that was now sitting on bench. She looked around his basement. She was coming back to reclaim her 'thrown' the following Monday and she knew that the Director façade would have to slip back on. A façade that she knew Jethro wasn't very fond of. But if there was something she learned while being Genvieve Staton, it was that feelings weren't necessarily a bad thing. "I hope we can be friends, Jethro."

"Friends?" Gibbs replied snickering at that thought. Jennifer Shepard could never be just a friend to him.

"Yes, Jethro," Jenny replied. "I realize that you don't have many of those, but I would like to be one of them."

"No can do, Jen."

Jenny nodded beginning her journey to the stairs. "I… why did you name your boat 'Hollis'?"

Gibbs shrugged in response. Was he not allowed to?

"It's just that, Jethro," Jenny started looking around him gathering courage for what she was about to say. "You build boats to let go of the women that left you. Diane, Stephanie, Kelly… Shannon."

"Your point, Jen?"

"Did Hollis leave you, Jethro?"

Jenny knew that there was a high chance that Gibbs wasn't going to answer her question. After all, it was a very personal question and Jethro didn't share his personal life with her. Not even when they were together.

"And if she did?"

"Then I'm sorry, Jethro."

Gibbs huffed at that. "You think she left 'cos 'o you?"

"No, Jethro," Jenny denied shaking her head. She knew that she may be part of the reason, or at least his recent involvement with Genvieve Staton was part of it. It wasn't directly her but she still felt guilt for it. Gibbs deserved to be happy. "I'm just sorry because she was good for you. Made you happy."

"You made me happy," Gibbs slipped. He didn't mean to say it. But now that it's out there, then there's nothing he could do about that.

"I used to make you happy," Jenny replied, "you deserve to be happy Gibbs. I'm just sorry that you… lost something that made you happy."

Neither of them knew whether she was talking about herself or f about Hollis.

"Don't apologize –"

"It's a sign of weakness, I know. Though when you really mean it, it takes strength to apologize."

Gibbs smirked, "Pick that up from Hol?"

"I didn't even know the woman outside her record, Jethro," Jenny admitted with a shrug. She turned over to the stairs stepping on the first few steps. "I come back to work on Monday."

"I'll be there, Director."

"You think we could put the past year behind us, Jethro? Brush it aside like our times in Europe."

"Pretend like it didn't happen?" Gibbs questioned. The old Jennifer Shepard, the secretive and no-nonsense Jennifer Shepard was back. He didn't know if that made him feel better or not. Genvieve Staton was like a breath of fresh air. She was everything that Jennifer wasn't and was. She was all the good of Jennifer Shepard and all that was missing. But it wasn't his place to bring out the Genvieve Staton out of Jennifer Shepard.

"Brush it under the rug."

"Whatever you want, Madame Director."

"What do you want, Agent Gibbs?" Jenny asked him meeting his eye, retracing her steps to stand closer to him.

Gibbs shrugged so Jenny repeated the question with more force. She wasn't taking his silence as an answer. It was an all or nothing approach that she was 's giving him.

Gibbs moved over to the workbench and handed her the varnish and a brush to help him. That was his answer and whether or not she interpreted it right, depended on her.

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