Je t'aime

by ParisNeverEnded

K

A/N I'm personally still in denial about Judgment day, which aired a year ago and well thanks to everyone in the Jibbs department of it's possible to still see the romance between Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Jennifer Shepard. So i dedicate this to everyones whose JIBBS fics i have read and those that i am yet to read!!

Disclaimer:Not mine

It was a year to the date that she'd been in that Diner. May 20th 2008. 10 years before she'd been on the Eiffell tower on a windy day with the man she loved. That was a time before her illness, before, Sylveta, before La Grenouille and at the time of love and freedom. That had all gone now, at the expense of her love and life and she had now died to save another.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was the one she had saved. He had been her lover, somebody who had cared about her all throughout her life, right up until she died. He refused to admit that she'd died, she couldn't have, she was always there for him like he was in return. They were partners, they were lovers, they belonged together; she just couldn't have died.

Life had moved on since that day, Deputy Director Vance had taken her place as Director, new agents had been and gone; and Ziva had left the team. Gibbs hated life for moving on, for continuing like nothing had happened, because something had. Even if Jenny Shepard had not died; as he was telling himself. Part of him knew she had died in that diner, but part of him knew she hadn't. He could feel her heart still beating, her hair still shining and her eyes still glittering.

Gibbs missed that, when they'd been undercover he'd seen the glint in her eye everyday and he'd seen it again when she'd first been appointed Director, but as time took its toll it had disappeared. Gibbs remembered when they'd been in Marseille she had been so full of life, and love.

Marseille, August 7th 1998

"Hurry up Jenny," Gibbs shouted through the bathroom door.

It was 19:25 and the couple were expected to be downstairs in the next 5 minutes, they were going to be late if she didn't hurry up ."Coming Jethro," she replied.

True to her word, 3 seconds later she appeared in a green halter neck and very revealing dress. Gibbs' eyes popped at the sight.

"Happy Birthday Jenny. "He stumbled, struggling to keep his eyes on her face.

"You like it Jethro?"

She grinned evilly.

"I'd like it even better off Jen."

"Well you know what they say about birthday suits." Jenny's eyes sparkled.

Gibbs stared into space as he remembered and sipped at his cold coffee. He'd been sitting at his desk for the last 48 hours not moving unless it was to get coffee.

"Jethro." A light airy voice called.

Gibbs looked up startled, it was Jen's voice, but it couldn't be...could it? He shook his head…it was just his memories acting up. He'd had the same when Shannon and Kelly had died, he'd always be hearing their voices wherever he went.

Gibbs drained the rest of his coffee and deciding that he really needed to go home went to pick up his coat.

"Jethro come here. Jethro." The voice echoed in his head. Gibbs' eyes darted around the squad room; nobody there.

"Oh Jen don't do this to me."

Gibbs left the squad room and walked towards the elevator.

***

"How can he not be here? Why isn't he here?" Abby pouted angrily. All of the team and Abby and Ducky besides Gibbs, were at Arlington Cemetery away but in visible distance from Jenny's grave.

"He'll be here Abs. He'll be here," said McGee. "He was here for Kate, and he'll be here for Jenny."

"If he loves her, he'll be here." Abby piped burying herself in McGee's coat.

"Of course they were in love Abby." Tony remarked.

"Don't say that Tony." Abby replied

"Say what?"

"That they were in love. You said that in the past tense not in the present. He still loves her."

"She's dead Abby." Ziva said.

"Yes but he can still love her."

"Fine, fine Abs. He still loves her." Tony replied.

"I'm sure he has loved her since she left him in Paris." Ducky spoke for the first time. He knew both Jenny and Gibbs did not want their personal story to be told; but it was time, Ducky thought for the team to know the truth. After all they were family.

***

The elevator doors closed and Gibbs exhaled.

"Jethro." Gibbs turned to see Jenny in an old NIS t-shirt and brown slacks. He doubled back.

"Jen?"

"No I'm the Director's doppleganger."

"Didn't you wear that when Stan shot that Senator?"

"Yes Jethro."

Gibbs' vision blurred and Jen faded into blackness as Gibbs collapsed...

"Agent Gibbs? Agent Gibbs are you there?"

Gibbs opened his eyes to see Rich, the security guard standing over him in the lobby.

"Yeah I'm fine Rich." He got up easily but he couldn't help noticing a searing pain in the back of his head.

"Are you sure Agent Gibbs? I can phone the-"

"I'm fine Rich, I've got to go." Gibbs ran off as Rich began to speak.

Gibbs ran through security not knowing where he was going just knowing that he had to get out of the building. He got to his car and belted up and drove out of the Navy yard.

"Jethro." Jenny spoke from the seat next to Gibbs. He turned and sure enough Jenny was sitting there.

"WHAT? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON JEN?" Gibbs shouted in anger, frustration and at a loss.

"Jethro. You know what you've got to do, for me and for the team. You've got to say goodbye.

***

"So Jenny and Gibbs were together till '99 when she left?" Tony said.

If it had been any other day Tony would have been ecstatic, for years he'd been trying to prove their relationship and his bets had fuelled him further; but it was neither the time nor place to be happy. The very nature of why Ducky was sharing this information saddened the entire team.

"Yes Tony, and Abby I am sure Jethro will be here."

***

"Goodbye Jethro." Jenny's piercing green eyes stared into his blue. He nodded, this was something he had to do alone, one day they'd meet again. He'd pulled up at Arlington Cemetery knowing this was where she wanted him to be.

"Jen. Wait, I need to know something,"

"Yes Jethro."

"That day on the stairs, did you mean it when you said you didn't want a relationship?"

"Yes Jethro because we'd never left our other one." Jenny smiled and then disappeared.

"He really did need help," thought Gibbs.

As he walked through Arlington cemetery gates his heart rate quickened. It had been a year since he'd set foot in Arlington and the American flag was still flying in the distance. This place brought bad memories of fallen Comrades and of a woman who he loved.

"I can't do this Jen." Gibbs whispered. He walked down the path, knowing where she lay without thinking. As he saw the gravestone he noticed a woman already there, but as he neared he saw that what he had thought was a red coat was in fact the woman's hair. She had auburn hair.

Not again. He couldn't deal with another Jen, another false hope, but as she turned he saw her face. Those green eyes belonged to only one woman and that was Jenny Shepard, this was the real thing, this couldn't be another 'ghost' this was the real deal.

"Jenny."

"Jethro." As if in a dream they ran towards one another.

"Je t'aime"

With that their mouths met for a kiss a decade too late.

"What did he say? What did he say?" Abby squealed. She jumped up and down like a 3 year old.

"Abs. He said I love you." Ziva smiled staring at her two friends deeply in love. Mommy and Daddy were back together...This time forever.

Despite their surroundings Jennifer Shepard and Leroy Jethro Gibbs were busy re-exploring each others mouths. There was no doubt they were still in love because although things were yet to be explained; and even more to be put right, to them they had emended their greatest regret all in 2 French words.

'Je t'aime'

A/N It's finished!!!!Finally my very first Jibbsfest entry FINISHED!!Anyway the title is French and sort of translates into 'I love you' and i know this isn't the best i could've done as well honestly i wrote this a few hours before the deadline but i just really wanted to finish this!