A/N: Alright. This chapter is short and kinda sad, but it gets better next chapter, I promise. I think that there's going to be about one chapter after this, then a two part epilogue, but that's only if this goes how I want it to. Thank you to everyone that has stuck with this story, and who has alerted, favorited, or reviewed; itzcheeseball, babyred1995, and jstapny in particular. You guys are awesome! :) Also I've decided I'm just going to go ahead and finish this story; I'm putting off posts of both 'Shots' and 'Past' until this is completed, so that less is on my plate :) Leave me a review pretty please, I love your feedback! :)

Jenny shifted in the bed, frowning when she realized how cold the sheets were. Blinking open her eyes, she took in her surroundings, her heart pounding as she discovered that she was in her townhouse, all alone. There was no one in bed with her, no kids down the hall. She was alone.

She rolled on her side, feeling strangely empty. She'd prepared herself for this; she'd prepared herself for waking up knowing she wouldn't be next to Jethro and that Allie and Liam wouldn't be down the hall, waiting to come into the room, jumping on the bed.

That didn't mean it hurt any less.

She didn't stop them when the tears came, letting the drops slip down her cheeks. They stained her pillow, the material becoming soaked with the salt water. She sobbed silently, her body shaking as she let out the grief she would always hold inside.

She let herself cry for a long time, finally falling back to sleep. When she awoke again, her alarm was going off. She smacked it off, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling for what felt like forever. She couldn't find the energy or motivation to move; she felt listless, useless.

She couldn't go to work, that she knew. There was no way she could concentrate, and she could not possibly see Jethro. It would completely break her.

Grabbing her phone, she called Cynthia, composing herself so that her voice wouldn't waver or break.

"Hello Cynthia."

"Good morning Director. Is everything is alright?" Cynthia asked, her voice full of concern.

"Everything is fine Cynthia. I'm going to take the day off; I'm not feeling that well." Jenny said, knowing that that was the understatement of the year.

"Alright. You don't have any meetings today, and the Op in MTAC is tomorrow night. It shouldn't be too difficult. I hope you feel better Director." Cynthia said, and Jenny knew the conversation would be over quickly, for which she was grateful.

"Thank you Cynthia. Call me if anything major happens."

"I will, Director. Goodbye."

"Goodbye Cynthia." Jenny said, handing up the phone and curling back up underneath the covers.

It appeared as though she was spending the day in bed.

Gibbs finished his report, and after grabbing Tony, Ziva, and McGee's, he ran up the stairs to Jenny's office. He was the only one, save her, in the building, and he was hoping for a chance to talk to her. They'd been out on a case all day, and he'd been meaning to talk to her for weeks. He'd just kept pushing it off, and he knew why.

He didn't want to face her.

These past five months hadn't been easy, that much he knew. Getting used to seeing her again had taken longer than he could have anticipated, and he knew he hadn't made her transition to being the Director easy.

He just couldn't believe that she was back, after those six years. Six years of doubting that she'd ever really loved him. Six years of trying to get over her, knowing that he never would.

Sighing, he walked past Cynthia's desk, surprised to see her still working.

"She in, Cynthia?" he asked, frowning.

"No, she called in earlier. She wasn't feeling well, so she took the day off." the younger woman answered, looking up from her computer. Gibbs' frown deepened. Jen never took the day off. Ever.

Something was wrong.

Jenny slipped out of bed, sliding on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Padding downstairs, she walked into the kitchen, turning on the coffee maker. Nothing sounded particularly appetizing, so food was out of the question.

Taking the mug with her, she walked into the living room, curling up on the couch. She flicked on the television, channel-surfing for a while. Nothing caught her interest, and she eventually turned it off, preferring to sit in the silence.

It was so hard to look down at her left hand and see it bare. It was hard to look at her pale stomach and not see the long horizontal scar. It was hard to look around her house and not be able to call it a home.

She didn't want to think about how much she missed the life she had left. She'd wanted to leave, because the pain of knowing she couldn't have that had shaken her to the core. She'd needed to escape.

But what she'd escaped into wasn't any better, in all actuality. She was alone, with almost no chance of rectifying it, and the only thing she could fall back on was her job.

Grabbing her phone, she decided to call a person she'd always been able to talk to, and who she'd let fall to the wayside as she'd forwarded her career. At least the life she'd left had helped her fix one broken relationship, she thought bitterly. Although in all honesty, it was the other one she'd prefer fixed.

"Hey, Sydney, it's me Jen. How are you?"

Gibbs pulled up to the large townhouse, taking a deep breath before turning the engine off. He was eerily reminded of the night she'd returned, but decided this time to just take the plunge and knock on the door. He needed to know that she was okay.

He got out of his car, walking towards her front door. He took another deep breath before knocking, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he waited for her. Moments later, the door opened, and an exhausted looking Jenny opened the door, dressed in sweats and an old NCIS t-shirt. Her green eyes were wet, like she'd recently been crying, and her face was pale.

Upon seeing him, her face hardened, her body stiffened, and her eyes filled with an unreadable emotion. Confusion swirled through him, but he hid it as he scanned her face, waiting for her to speak.

"What do you want Jethro?" she asked, her voice wavering but never breaking. His heart broke a little at the sadness filling her eyes, but it puzzled him.

"Cynthia said you took the day off. Wanted to see that you were okay." he answered, shrugging his shoulders. He heard her breath catch in her throat, and her grip on the door tightened, the skin on her knuckles stretching and turning white. "Jen?"

"You might as well come in." Jenny said, a bitter note in her voice, which surprised him. She opened the door more, allowing him inside. Shutting the door behind him, she turned to him, crossing her arms over her chest, appearing as though she was cold.

"You cold Jen?" he asked, gesturing towards her folded arms. She looked down, pressing her arms tighter into her chest.

"Being cold is the least of my problems." she answered, shaking her head, sadness tinting her tone. Gibbs frowned, her words hitting him.

"Jen, are you okay?" Gibbs asked, placing a hand on shoulder. She flinched away from his touch, turning away from him and shaking her head.

"Am I okay? What the hell kind of a question is that Jethro?" Jenny asked, turning back to him, her green eyes full of the same emotion filling her voice. "My life isn't what I want it to be, the man I'm in love with can't even look me in the eyes anymore, I've lost everyone I've ever been close to, and time is slipping through my fingers. So no, Jethro, I'm not okay."

Gibbs watched her, watched the way the tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. Slowly, he reached a hand up, brushing away the drops, cupping her cheek in his palm.

Then, he kissed her.