"How many?" the waitress asked as they all came through the door. The 'adults' looking a little exasperated and the 'kids' following behind them; laughing, joking, teasing and annoying one another.

"Seven," Gibbs announced and Tracy led them to a large, horseshoe shaped booth near the back. There was some shuffling as they tried to figure out who was sitting where. Gibbs kept hold of Jenny's hand, Ducky stayed out of the way as the team negotiated for seats, hoping for an end. McGee wanted to sit beside Abby but didn't want to insist too much and draw attention to them. And Tony and Ziva didn't care as long as they weren't sitting beside each other.

The matter didn't get settled until Gibbs scowled at them all. "Sit!" he barked.

They immediately fell silent and filed in as if his order had suddenly worked out all the kinks. Ziva got the middle, with McGee on one side and Jenny on the other. Abby was in between the 'boys' and Gibbs and Ducky sat to the left of Jenny.

"We're buying," Abby proclaimed, "so get whatever you want."

"Nothing too expensive though, we're all on government salaries," Tony joked. Ziva flicked a straw at him with enough force to be uncomfortable. "What?" he said, his expression guileless.

She rolled her eyes. Tony would never change. He would always be blunt and rude and completely without tact. But as a partner she trusted him to watch her back. For now, that was enough.

Tracey came back a few minutes after they were all settled. "What can I get everyone to drink?"

The whole group settled on various types of pop and Ducky was thinking that it was an interesting psychological reveal to see that their drinks corresponded to their personality types. Abby, as the youngest, got cream soda. Tony, the root beer he mentioned earlier, more of an adolescent drink. McGee went for the slightly more sophisticated Dr. Pepper, while Gibbs went for the more behind the scenes Ginger-Ale. Ziva, who had grown up without a lot of exposure to different soft drinks, chose Mountain Dew because she liked the commercial she'd seen once. Jenny went with classy yet understated Diet Pepsi, and Ducky himself chose a drink from his native Scotland that he was quite pleased to find available on the menu, Irn-Bru.

When they all had received a glass, Ducky held his high and proposed a toast. Sensing a long winded speech that they wouldn't really understand, Abby stole the spotlight. "To Gibbs and the Director! Long live our king and queen!"

That pretty much said it all and cheers resonated around the table while glasses were clinked.

Jenny leaned over like she was about to share a secret. "When we're not in the office, it's Jenny. And thank you everyone. But," she gave them all a hard look, "it's back to Director Shepard tomorrow or this never happens again."

"Yes ma'am!" the team coursed and Gibbs smiled.

"So, how long's it been anyways Boss? When did you and the dir...Jenny, tie the knot?"

"Seven months," Gibbs replied without a single change in facial expression.

Tony choked on his drink and even Ziva looked perturbed. "What?" he gasped when he could breathe again. "Seven months? Wow. I am seriously losing my touch."

"Tony," Abby smiled sadly, putting her hand on his arm, "you just need to get used to the fact that you will never have the investigative skills that we geeks are blessed with." She shared a glance with Tim.

"Oh yeah?" Tony countered. "And when did you find out?"

Abby squirmed and she wouldn't look at him. "Sunday," she said under her breath.

"Hah!" Tony grinned. "That's right, I'm vindicated."

"Get over it DiNozzo," Gibbs snapped. "And you're welcome that we told at all." He squeezed Jenny's hand. "We could've kept it up a lot longer."

"So much for my bets," Tony grumbled, then remembered that admission could totally get him in trouble with both bosses. Before he could fumble for an appropriate cover, their waitress appeared.

Tracy returned with a smile, holding a notepad and pen in front of her, poised to write. "So, what'll it be guys?"

No one had yet had a chance to look at a menu, but when they all looked at each other, somehow they knew. Perhaps the telepathy Abby was convinced she and Gibbs shared was becoming contagious. They faced their waitress and said unanimously, "Pizza!"

NCIS

Gibbs had to admit, going out with the team would never be a boring exercise. It had been a night filled with laughter and the usual banter between the 'boys' and Tony and Ziva. Abby grinned throughout the whole meal and Jenny experienced a feeling of connection with these people that she'd never expected. As director of NCIS she tended to hold herself apart from her agents, except for the one she married of course. She didn't want to develop close friendships with them that might undermine their respect for her position. But tonight she realized two things: A) that wasn't going to be a problem. And B) she really wanted to be apart of this family.

Jenny and Jethro entered the house together, still chuckling over the scene they'd left behind, as the team fought for who was paying and how to divide up the bill. Ducky had taken his leave then as well, advising them to corral the 'kids' and then head home to bed. Instead the couple had thanked the team and left them to their own devices, knowing that no matter what happened after 'Mommy and Daddy' left the room, they would still be at their desks at 0730 the next morning, awaiting their master's footsteps down the hall.

Gibbs took care of setting the alarm system when they came in and they didn't bother with any lights, knowing they were heading upstairs to get ready for bed.

"You can have the bathroom first," he told Jenny, "I think I need a glass of water."

"Okay," she smiled. "Can you bring me up one too?"

"Will do."

Once he was certain she was safely upstairs, Gibbs reached into the fridge for the box he'd entrusted to her security detail earlier, knowing they had keys and were trustworthy. He tucked it into his jacket pocket then poured them each a glass of water and carried them carefully upstairs. The water was running in the bathroom, so Gibbs knew his wife was still occupied. After delivering the water to their respective bedside tables, he took out the box, removed it's contents and placed it where he was certain she would notice shortly.

Jenny walked out of the bathroom in the process of taking off her earrings. "Your turn."

Gibbs had already managed to change into his pyjamas and he headed into the bathroom without a word.

Jenny stood by the closet while she removed her suit jacket and hung it up. Before getting undressed though, she went to the dresser to find a comfortable pair of pyjamas. And then she stopped. Something was different. There by their wedding photo that she looked at each night before getting into bed, lay today's special message. Two roses, one white and one red, symbolizing unity. Specifically, theirs. She caressed the blossoms and smiled. Seven years that she'd known him, seven years that she'd loved him, seven months that she'd been married to him and still Jethro never ceased to surprise her. She had a feeling the rest of her life would be a learning curve with this man. But it would be worth the ride.

Sliding into bed, Jenny picked up the book she'd been reading last night and started reading where she'd left off, stealing a glance at her flowers every page or so. It didn't take Gibbs long to finish in the bathroom, though Jenny was constantly teasing him about how men actually spent more time there than women, so he kept trying to prove her wrong.

"It's a nice surprise Jethro," she smiled when he came out.

"Thought you'd like that one," he was feeling pretty pleased with himself.

"The same flowers I carried on our wedding day." She shook her head, "Do you always remember the details?"

"Oh," his eyes shadowed, "sometimes I miss all the important ones Jen."

Jenny knit her brows. "How so?"

Gibbs didn't answer her, he just got into bed and sat as she was, his back resting against the pillows and headboard. It had been awhile since they'd done this, just sat in bed at night and shared the time together.

"Hand?" he asked.

Jenny gladly surrendered one of her hands, wondering about his comment but knowing that he would answer her when he was ready, even if that wasn't tonight. "Did you enjoy dinner?"

Gibbs held Jenny's hand tenderly and didn't respond, using his other hand to trace his fingers up and down hers, across her palm, over the back of her hand and around her wrist. Jenny squirmed, her wrists were a little ticklish.

"What did you think of dinner?" she tried again.

"Nice of them." He moved back to her hand, kissing her fingers and drawing circles on her palm.

Jenny was having a hard time not being distracted. "They really do care for you Jethro. You're a good match for them, the center that balances out all their crazy antics and foolish banter. It was really hard to watch them without you last year."

Gibbs eyes met hers. "Don't talk about last year Jen," he said quietly. "That time, that decision, is my Paris."

Jenny knew exactly what he meant. They were both sorry, they had both missed opportunities, the years lost was they price both of them had paid. She changed the subject and laughed softly.

"Did you see Abby and McGee tonight, trying to pretend like they weren't holding hands under the table?"

He placed another kiss on her palm. "I'm going to kill McGee," he declared calmly.

"No, you're not," Jenny told him. "I refuse to give you permission to murder one of my agents just for being in love."

"He's going to regret it." Gibbs reached for her other hand, performing the same ministrations on it as he had on the first one.

"Jethro..." she warned.

"Aww, come on Jen, I have to scare him some. If I wasn't intimidating they would break the rules without thinking about it. Although, come to think of it..." he tried to remember, "Abby and I are going to be having a talk tomorrow and she's going to explain why she lied to me about breaking rule twelve."

She shook her head at her husband, feeling an overwhelming urge to kiss him as he continued his gentle caresses on her hand. "Maybe they weren't dating on Sunday," Jenny suggested.

"I think it's great that you're on their side Jen, every once in awhile they could use an advocate. But I'm not buying it this time. They are in trouble. There is no way that much changed in two days."

Jenny raised an eyebrow at him. "We went from barely speaking to dating in just one evening in your basement," she felt compelled to remind him. "Two days is a lifetime compared to that." He glared at her, it was no fun at all when she was right, and she laughed. "Don't think that your Gibbs stare works on me, I'm invincible."

The thought sobered Jenny. If she was invincible, they would be enjoying each other's bodies right now instead of being content with only the touches Jenny wanted. She pushed the moment away. Right now was a good time, she didn't want to ruin it. Let the dreams come, but let them come tomorrow. Tonight she was just going to sit in bed and be in love with her husband.

Gibbs sensed Jenny's mood turn. He didn't say anything, didn't change what he was doing, and went back to their previous topic of conversation. "Do you think he loves her? McGee?"

Jenny turned his face towards her, the before thought banished. "I don't think anyone else could love her half as much as he does. The signs have been there all along."

He sighed. "I don't want her to get hurt. It didn't end well last time."

"We didn't end well the first time, but thankfully, we seem to be getting our second chance. Maybe this is theirs."

"Are you sure I can't shoot him?"

"Jethro!" she laughed, leaning over to kiss him. It was just a taste, a comfort, an I'm-glad-to-have-you-here moment. "Silly man. Just hug her and say congratulations. You can threaten him with bodily harm if he ever breaks her heart on their wedding day."

Gibbs jerked back. He couldn't think about that now. Years ago Abby had joked about having him walk her down the aisle. He was the closest thing to a father she had, even then. But giving Abby away made him think about what it would've been like to walk Kelly down the aisle and what her wedding day would be like. That was enough to make him want a drink, so he steered clear of the subject and slouched down in the bed.

"Bedtime Jen?" he asked.

She looked at him, love making her eyes soft. Jenny wasn't sure what he'd been thinking, but she was pretty sure it was sad. She scootched down lower, resting her head on the pillows behind her. "Okay," she whispered.

Gibbs kept hold of his wife's hand, tracing patterns on the back of her hand. Jenny just watched him, his concentration on something so small. How was it that something so simple could feel so intimate and loving? How could he make her want him with just a touch like that? Instead of questioning it, she merely smiled, thankful once again for the man that she had married.