Feeling like his stomach had been just been yanked inside out, Gibbs sucked in a large gulp of fresh night air. He sent yet another glare in the Henri's direction. "A bit of warning would have been nice," he grumbled.

"You get used to it," Jenny told him, sqeezing his arm lightly, before stepping forward to where Henri was standing staring around the darkened ruins that were in front of them, she sent Henri a quizzical look. "What are we doing here?" she asked.

"This was my home," he answered, his eyes staring almost vacantly ahead at the mouldering piles of bricks.

"Oh." Jenny stared at him in concern, wrapping her arms around herself. "Are you ok?"

"I will be." Finally he tore his eyes away from the ruin and looked over at Jenny. "I'd like you to come with me to Eloise's grave." He glanced over at Gibbs and added, "Both of you." Taking in the hesitant look in her eyes, he promised, "I'll explain more once we are there."

Jenny gave a nod. "Lead the way then."

She fell into step behind him, feeling Jethro's hand rest comfortingly in the small of her back as they made their way through the long forgotten graveyard, past derelict stones until they reached one that considering how old it was, was miraculously well kept. Jenny could even still make out the words engraved onto the worn stone. As her eyes scanned the name of Eloise Dubious, Jenny felt strangely detached. She wasn't sure what else she had expected, it may have been her life once but she no memories of it, just a vague sense of deja-vu. Looking back over at Henri, she saw that his hand was running over the top of the stone, his face contorted in grief. His voice appeared to come from far away as he spoke, "I saw you last night. With him." He glanced up with Jenny and seeing she was about to cut in, he continued, "I want you to be happy, but I always expected that it would be with me, that we'd get back what we had in your previous life. I can't watch you and him together, it will hurt too much."

Jenny swallowed nervously, glancing at Gibbs for a moment, taking in the almost stony look on his face before she asked,. "What are you saying?"

"Did you know that we are unable to kill ourselves. I don't quite understand why not, but we can't."

"I thought we were immortal?" Jenny asked, frowning.

"We have limited ways of dying. Burning and a silver bullet through the heart are the only ways. We seem to have a problem with silver, the wounds created by it won't heal and if our heart can't heal then we can't live." His fingers traced the engraving on the grave, his voice dropping lower, he turned shuttered eyes onto Gibbs and told him, "I'd like a few minutes alone with Jenny."

Gibbs frowned, he was feeling a bit too disconcerted by all of this. He looked over at Jenny who gave him a small nod. "I'll be fine," she whispered, answering his unasked question. With a curt nod in Henri's direction, Gibbs took a few steps back, so he could see what was happening, but could no longer hear the whispered words.

Henri anguished eyes on her, I've lived too long now, I'm tired. I've spent years convincing myself that when I found you everything would be right again, but you don't remember me, you'll never love me and I just can't watch you with him. Maybe the part of Eloise that loved me is waiting for me, maybe I'm just a fool clinging onto a vague possibility." He shrugged. "Either way, I've had enough."

He pulled out a gleaming, old style silver revolver and pressed it into her hands. Jenny stared at the gun, shaking her head, "I can't," she whispered.

"I realised that," he told her. "Which is why I brought him along," he nodded in Gibbs direction. "I don't think he'll be as bothered about shooting me and I want to rest here, with Eloise."

She continued to look at him, her mind racing as she considered what she should do. She studied his face intently, seeing the weariness, the bleakness in his eyes. Her gaze travelled to the hand that continued to rest upon the gravestone, his fingers stroking over the letters almost lovingly. It was the first time she could truly appreciate just how much he'd loved her and how lonely he now felt. "I'll ask him."

Henri gave her a grateful smile. "I just want to tell you something first."

"Go ahead," Jenny croaked out, grateful for this last minute reprieve. She might not be able to give him the love he wanted but she still cared for him.

His hands closed over her fore-arms, his eyes gazing into the gleaming green eyes that had haunted his dreams for centuries, the eyes that had once offered him such comfort. He stroked a finger across her cheekbone. "As I tried to tell you earlier, forever is a long time to be alone, and if you have lost the one you love it feels even longer. I want you to take a chance, mine might not have paid off but yours will. I can see how much he cares for you and I know that he'll make you happy, you just have to give him the chance."

"It's not as simple as that," Jenny protested.

"It will only be as complicated as you make it." With that he handed over the gleaming necklace. "I'm not going to need this, and technically it was yours." He gave a slight shrug and a small smile. "You can do whatever you like with it, it doesn't matter to me anymore."

Jenny stared at it for a brief moment, and nodding she tucked it away into her cardigan's pocket. "I'll take of it," she promised him.

"I know."

Turning away from Henri, Jenny made her way over to Gibbs. He looked at her in mild concern. "You ok?" he asked.

Sh stared at the revolver in her hand and held it out to him. He wants to die, and I can't do it."

Gibbs stared at her for a moment. "Jen, I know I said I wanted to shoot him, but this could be a trick."

"I trust him," Jenny told him. "There is no hidden agenda, he just wants it all to end."

Looking into the sad green eyes in front of him, Gibbs gave a small sigh as he took the gun from her and they walked slowly towards Henri together. They were only a few feet away when Jenny stopped, "I really can't," she whispered almost chokingly, hating having to admit to any weakness.

Nodding, Gibbs took the five more footsteps it toook to reach Henri and pressed the butt of the gun against his chest. "You sure 'bout this?" he asked.

Henri glanced once more over at Jenny and replied, "You'll do what it takes to make her happy?"

"You have my word," Gibbs promised him.

"Well then, I'm sure."

As he pulled the trigger, Gibbs couldn't help but note the acceptance in the other man's eyes. He felt the bullet tear free from the gun and heard Jenny's sharp gasp as he turned instantly to dust, settling into the grass that now covered his wife's beloved grave.

Lowering the gun, Gibbs moved back towards Jenny, wrapping his arm around her. "You alright?"

"Uh huh," she nodded. She looked up at him. "What about you?"

He shrugged, "It's been a different kind of day." His eyes scanned over her. "You wanna explain what's going on?"

"What do you know?"

"That he's not human, that you're not-" He cut off and shook his head, he really couldn't say it.

"I'm not," she told him. Her eyes pleaded with him as she told him, "I was dying, he gave me a way out."

Gibbs gave a brief nod. "We can talk about this at home," he told her. He stared around the ruins of the keep and added, "You do know how to get us home?"

I thought about going into their conversation, but I figured it would be impossible to keep them in character.

Everything will be wrapped up in the next chapter.