Slowly Jenny walked back to her office, the now familiar drained feeling she got after a session starting to take over. She walked past Cynthia and through the door. Just before she collapsed into her chair, she noticed something on her desk that hadn't been there before. It was a small, gold, rectangular box with a clear lid. When she looked inside, a smile spread slowly across her face. It was a delphinium, covered in little blue blossoms, resting on a cushion of cotton.

She slid the lid off and picked it up, breathing the sweet fragrance. Attached to the stem was a small note containing only six words. I admire you for facing this. Jenny made the interpretation quickly. Delphinium stood for courage. Her husband was sweetly reminding her that he was proud of her. Proud of her for going to therapy, proud of her for doing her job, just proud of her.

Laying the flower down gently, Jenny slipped back out onto the catwalk and leaned on the railing, her eyes seeking out only one face in the hive of activity below. It didn't take long for him to notice her there, somehow he always knew. With a quick glance around to be sure no one was looking, he smiled up at her.

"Thank you," she whispered, letting the love show on her face, knowing he would be able to read her words. Then she checked again to make sure no one's eyes were on them and used the ASL alphabet to spell a short message to him. H-O-M-E. She pointed at herself and then turned away. Now he would know where to find her, if and when their case ever wrapped up.

NCIS

Gibbs watched his wife turn away and remembered the moment she had asked him to teach her a few signs. They had only been married for a month or so. It had been a long day at the office, but an intriguing case. It was one of those days that Abby felt like testing him to make sure he hadn't lost his touch with the language. Jenny had been with him for part of his time in the lab, hanging out with them since there was nothing terribly urgent going on upstairs.

Later that night when they were sitting on the couch, trying to unwind, Jenny had looked at him with a question in her eyes. The request though, had surprised him.

"Jethro," she asked.

"Mmm?" his eyes were closed and he was feeling pretty relaxed.

"Will you teach me how to sign?"

That got his attention. "Sign? Why?"

Jenny shrugged. "I was watching you and Abby today and feeling a little jealous because I didn't know what you were saying. I speak three languages, but none of them will help me understand the two of you."

"Jealous?" he almost laughed. "You know Abby isn't competition Jen."

"No," she said thoughtfully, "but she knows so much more about you than I do. I didn't even know you knew how to sign."

"It never really came up before."

"Well," she looked at him expectantly, "will you?"

Uncharacteristically, Gibbs hesitated. It took him a moment to be sure whether or not he wanted Jen to learn to sign. After all, it was something special. It was a bond he and Abby shared and it was also one of the memories he held dearest from his mom. Then again, if she learned ASL, that left the possibilities wide open for what they could get away with while they were at work and not have anybody even realize it. He shifted in his seat, trying to decide.

"Why do you want to learn Jen?"

"Don't you want to teach me?" she looked hurt.

"I want to know why. It has to be more than just watching me and Abby talk."

Jenny considered the question. "Perhaps. I think...sometimes its easier not to use words."

In that moment Gibbs knew she was going to get it. He understood exactly what she meant. He didn't always like words either. So much could be conveyed through sign. Like with Abby, he hold her things in sign that he wouldn't necessarily say out loud in front of others. And signing just made the message more intimate. He thought of the moments when he said, "I love you," to the forensic scientist and made her so happy. Or when the room was full of people and he used her cheek to sign "my girl". Of course, it drove Tony nuts because no one was deaf, but that didn't stop them from having fun with it.

He nodded. "Okay."

Jen's face lit up. "Can you show me something right now?"

"The first thing you have to learn is the alphabet. If you don't know a sign for a word, you can always fall back on spelling it. It's not the best way to learn, but it'll do for now." He held up a fist with his thumb on the outside. "This is 'A'. Now, follow me."

He'd spent an hour that night teaching her the basics of the ASL alphabet and getting her to repeat it over and over until she could do it by herself. In the last six months he'd taught her a variety of signs and she tried to use them whenever she could.

Tearing his eyes away from the now empty catwalk, Gibbs couldn't quite get rid of the smile. He hoped he'd be able to meet her at home very soon. But first he had a case to solve.

NCIS

Jenny got home shortly before five-thirty that night. Thanking the agent who insisted on walking her to the door, Jenny smiled. Jethro must've been threatening my security detail with in inches of their lives again if anything bad happens, they're more protective than usual. She unlocked the door and let herself in. The house was cold, dark and quiet, but adjusting the thermostat on the wall, flicking on nearly all the first floor lights and popping her favourite CD in the kitchen player soon fixed all that.

Her coat was draped over the stand behind the door and she dropped her purse and phone on the hall table, expecting a call from Jethro when he was headed home. So much for a good sleep last night, Jenny thought as she sank onto the couch. I'm so tired right now I could probably sleep on the couch all night and not even notice. She decided her exhaustion either had something to do with her therapy session or that fact that she'd tried to catch up on almost two days worth of director duties in one normal length workday.

The next thing she knew she was blinking her eyes and trying to remember what had happened. She tried to focus her bleary eyes on the hands of her watch. Six-fifteen? Didn't I just get home? Then she realized that she was laying, not just sitting on the couch and laughed to herself. Wow, I must have skills if I can fall asleep without even noticing. Standing up she stretched out a few kinks and headed for the kitchen. If by some miracle Jethro made it home at a decent hour, he would probably be famished.

Jenny hummed along to the song on the radio, since her CD had run it's course while she was sleeping, and looked through the contents of her fridge. Noemi was currently on a two week holiday to South America to visit her mother and sisters. I will be very glad when she gets back though, I am not meant to be domesticated. Still, she was capable of making chili. It was simple and reheated well and Jenny felt the need for something hot tonight. Plus, they could freeze it and eat the rest later.

As she was opening cans of beans and tomatoes on the counter, the lyrics of the new song playing caught her ear and she reached over to turn up the volume. She had to hear the chorus twice before she realized why she liked it. The words reflected some of what she was feeling about her current situation, but hadn't really founds the words to say, if she was going to say anything at all.

Grabbing a pen and a piece of paper from the holder on the wall, Jenny waited for the chorus to come around again and jotted down the lyrics. She would write it out properly later. Maybe she would even show Jethro. It might help him understand. When the song was over Jenny went back to her supper preparations.

Less than half an hour later there was a steaming pot of chili boiling on the stove. With one final stir Jenny removed it from the burner and reached over to butter the toast that just popped. When everything was covered and turned off and ready to eat, she carried a plate of toast and a hot bowl of chili into her livingroom. Thinking that she needed something to do that wasn't thinking, Jenny browsed the shelves that housed her DVD collection.

It didn't take long for her to settle on Sahara. It was a drama/comedy and she could use something to laugh at tonight. The sidekick was her favourite character and had the best lines and scenes in the movie. Setting her food on the table beside the couch, Jenny settled in to enjoy a quiet evening and a hot meal.

NCIS

Gibbs had no idea what time it was when he finally dragged himself up the walk to Jenny's house. All that mattered was that they caught the guy who'd poisoned Kenneth Hoss, their dead sailor. As he'd suspected, it was someone from the man's squad. Once confronted with all the evidence, the kid confessed to being a chemistry whiz who knew how to mix up a concentrated dose of steroids to put in the inhaler. And when they asked him why?

"Because I was the better sailor. I did everything right and yet I had to live in his shadow. And he was going to get promoted instead of me. The captain only saw his performance because he was a friend of Kenneth's dad. He never even looked at me."

Sighing heavily, he turned his key in the lock. Why was it people never had a good reason for killing? It was always about them. Inside he took off his coat and followed the sounds to the livingroom. Jenny was sitting on the couch, eating some popcorn as she watched the credits from a movie scroll by.

"Jen?"

"Oh, Jethro. I'm glad you're home." She got up and came to him.

They simply stood and looked at each other for a moment and then Jenny made the first move, stepping closer and wrapping her arms around him. Gibbs was relieved and sank into her arms. He hadn't wanted to do the wrong thing today, but he'd had to work really hard to keep from doing anything at all. It was the first time today that they'd been this close and he breathed in the smell of her that he loved so much.

Finally she pulled back. "I made supper. You really should eat but then I think an early bedtime wouldn't hurt."

He nodded, agreeing with her even if the only thing he wanted right now was his bed. He'd humour her and eat something and he'd probably sleep better anyway. She shut off the TV and DVD player and led him into the kitchen. While he sat at the table, half awake and half asleep, Jenny warmed up a bowl of chili and buttered two pieces of toast. Then she just sat at the table with him while he ate. They didn't say anything, but for the moment, they didn't need to.

Minutes later dirty dishes were deposited into the sink and the couple headed upstairs, turning off lights as they went. Tonight Jenny set the alarm, because she wasn't entirely sure Jethro could keep his eyes open that long. Gibbs made quick work of brushing his teeth and changing into pyjamas. At last he sank with a sigh into the soft bed. He smiled when Jenny pulled the covers over his body and kissed his forehead. Not too many minutes later she joined him, laying on her side but not terribly far away. Gibbs was just glad to be in the same bed as Jenny. Just before he drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, Gibbs heard her soft whisper.

"Good night Jethro. Sleep well."

And they both fell asleep.