It rang three times before Rachel answered it with a rushed, "Hello?"

"It's Jen," she smiled.

"Ahh...I see somebody is trying to keep me from playing intervention. Right on time mi amiga." Rachel had spent several spring breaks in Mexico, volunteering at an orphanage supported by the people in her church, and she loved to throw in random Spanish whenever it fit.

Jenny waited a beat but only heard silence. "Aren't you going to ask me?" she prompted.

"Ask you what, exactly?" Rachel teased.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "If I did what I was supposed to do and then call you?" she reminded her friend.

"Oh that," Rachel said it slowly, as if she'd forgotten. "Well, did you?"

"Did I what?" Jenny grinned. Two could play this game.

"Jennifer!" her friend huffed in frustration. "Did you or did you not talk to your husband so I won't have to come over there and help you out with that?"

"I did," Jenny said simply.

"Come on Jen, you're killing me here! Aren't you even going to give me details? I know something has changed, I can hear it in your voice. It's all...light and airy tonight."

Jenny shook her head. She briefly recounted the awkward morning fight after Rachel left, and then Gibbs very creative way of making sure they actually talked.

"Aww...I knew I was going to like him," Rachel said at last, sighing happily.

Jenny was quiet for a moment. "Ever have someone who loved you so much he wouldn't let you push him away? Who kept coming back no matter what happened or how awful you treated him?"

Rachel smiled sadly, remembering before she answered. "Robert," she said, referring to her first real boyfriend after college. "He's the one who finally got me through healing after 'the act'."

"I remember him," Jenny said slowly. "You used to write about him, and talk about him all the time. What ever happened to him Rach?"

She sighed. "He was wounded after two tours in Iraq. Robert was...never the same after he came home. I tried...I tried to help him Jen, but I couldn't help him heal like he helped me. Nothing worked. He could never forget or get past what he'd seen there, what he'd done." Rachel paused, trying to quell the emotions the situation still brought up in her. "He killed himself a couple of years ago," she finished softly.

"Oh Rach, I'm so sorry."

"Me too. For a long time I thought he would be the one Jen."

"I know hun."

The two friends sat in silence for several moments. There was no point in Jenny telling her friend that there would be another guy someday, the right one this time, who would never leave her. When you loved someone and then they're gone, no amount of platitudes can make it hurt any less.

Finally, Jenny changed the subject completely. "So, tell me about this morning. What do you think of the Naval Academy? Did you meet your co-workers or boss? I think you're going to do great there Rach, really."

It wasn't like she was belittling her friend's hurt, there was simply no more that could be said on the subject, so it was better to try and find something to talk about that would put the happiness back in Rachel's voice. Her friend let out a deep breath, as if letting go again. Then she launched into a play by play of her day, while Jenny listened and nodded and said, 'Uh huh', 'oh really?', 'no way!', 'you didn't!', and all the other things that let Rachel know she was paying attention.

The phone conversation was just wrapping up when Gibbs came downstairs in sweats, bare feet, and one of his staple NIS t-shirts, from the old days.

"Thanks for everything Rach," Jenny said at last. "I owe you one."

"Nah, that's what friends are for Jen," Rachel smiled again. "Besides, if we started keeping track you know I would always be in debt to you."

"Somehow I doubt that," Jenny laughed. "Have a good weekend Rach. Maybe we can get together sometime next week and you can tell us all about your new job. You'll have to come see NCIS sometime too."

"I'd love to Jen. Tell Jethro I say hello. See you later."

"Bye," Jenny finally said, and clicked the phone off. She smiled up at her husband. "That was my check in call for tonight. If we hadn't talked by now, Rachel was going to come over and take Kristyn's place for a night."

He sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I'm really glad it didn't go that far."

"Me too." Jenny snuggled into him. "The best part is that now we have all weekend just to relax, or go do something fun. I don't know what. But I feel like this huge weight has been lifted off my chest and now I can breathe and smile and stop worrying that we're so far away."

"Agreed," Gibbs nodded. Then his stomach growled. "Umm...supper?" he asked.

Jenny smiled. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

In the kitchen, Gibbs got out glasses and filled them with Jenny's juice of the month. She would get on these crazy kicks once in awhile, pick a new favourite, and crave it for weeks. This month it was mango juice. Last month had been vegetables and dip. He couldn't remember the one before that, but he was glad that his life with Jenny never had time to be boring.

While he was taking care of drinks, Jenny reached into the oven and pulled out two tinfoil covered plates using the oven mitts. She couldn't tell what it was quite yet, but it smelled heavenly. Jenny peeled the tinfoil back and took a peek. Steam wafted out and Jenny closed her eyes and took a breath.

"Jethro," she smiled, "Noemi made lasagna!"

He shook his head. "She always knows what would taste good on a particular night. There's hardly a meal more comforting than homemade lasagna.." Two forks appeared out of the drawer and they settled at the table with their dinner.

Jenny took her first bite and chewed slowly, swallowing cautiously to test out her stomach's reaction. To her surprise, there was nothing, and she chanced a second bite. Gibbs shoveled in two big bites of the pasta, cheese and meat before looking at Jenny. She was actually eating. He counted four bites in less than that many minutes, and he wondered if things were finally starting to get better.

"Not bad, huh?" he asked.

Jenny swallowed and nodded. "It's amazing. Thank God for Noemi. We certainly couldn't cook anything like this!"

"I will have you know..." he began, ready to defend his honour in the kitchen.

Jenny pointed her fork at him. "I know Jethro, you're a perfectly capable cook. And I agree, as long as it's something that can be barbequed. But after that," she shrugged one shoulder, "I'm pretty sure you're down to Kraft Dinner. Which, by the way, is food an eight year old can make unsupervised."

Gibbs glared at her and she laughed. "Stop making fun of me woman," he growled. "I have a very delicate ego."

"I'm sure you do honey," Jenny smirked at him, "won't happen again."

"Is that a promise?" he grumbled.

"You know your life would be boring without me around!" Jenny retorted. "Just you and your boat and your bourbon in that basement."

He let her have that one. As much as he missed his boat some days, he certainly wouldn't trade extra time with it for what he had with Jenny. They went back to their meal, content with the silence, not having to fill it with words now that everything that mattered had been said.

After days with barely any food, Jenny couldn't even finish half of her supper, but the good news was that she stopped because she was full, not because she was afraid to be sick. She considered that progress. They loaded the dishwasher and Gibbs started coffee while Jenny put on the kettle for tea. Because she was experimenting with decaf coffee (which they didn't keep in the house for obvious reasons), tea was easier to make for now.

With steaming cups in hand they drifted towards the fire warmed livingroom. For once Gibbs was the one suggesting they put on a movie, wanting some background noise while they enjoyed their drinks. Jenny had a hard time finding a movie that fit her mood, and finally settled for a romantic comedy, knowing that it would be funny even if she wasn't paying attention to every word.

When they sat down Gibbs reached over and put his hand over hers, both resting on her leg. Jenny just smiled and sipped her tea, willing tonight to be peaceful, free from all that had been plaguing them for weeks. About halfway through the movie, both coffee and tea were consumed, and so were Jenny and Gibbs...with each other. It had started out with his arm around her shoulders while she leaned against him. Then he ran a hand down her arm. Pausing there, he played with her fingers for awhile, before slowly stroking her leg.

At that point Jenny couldn't ignore him any longer, and looked up to smile at him. That was all it took. Gone was any restraint and suddenly Gibbs was kissing his wife, holding her, touching her, loving the feel of her against him. He broke for air and slowly kissed down her neck. Jenny tensed, and put a finger over his lips. It was in her eyes that she still needed him to go slow, to be patient, and he got the message without her saying a word.

Gibbs pulled Jenny into his lap facing him, her knees on either side of his body. The movie was completely forgotten as their kissing resumed. Short kisses, long kisses, kisses bordering on the side of passionate that took them places they couldn't go just yet. And when neither of them had any breath left, Jenny fell off of him, resting her legs on his lap and laying back on the couch. She was laughing softly.

"Jethro, I feel like I'm sixteen again, making out with my boyfriend in the driveway."

He raises his eyebrows, trying to get his own breathing under control. "Is that so? Well, I certainly hope you enjoyed this," he kissed her hand, "more."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course." Leaning up on her elbows, Jenny checked the time. Not near as late as it could be, why was she so tired? "Jethro?" she asked.

It took Gibbs a minute before he could look at Jenny without being totally affected. Her sitting in his lap kissing him, and smiling in a way that showed him she was truly enjoying the moment, wreaked havoc with his patience. His body wanted so much more of Jen than he'd just gotten. But the rest of him was trying to be content with what they could do.

"Yeah?"

The look on her face told Gibbs that she saw a whole lot more than he wanted her to. Did he really think he could hide anything from her? She was his wife. She loved him, she knew him, probably better than anyone else in the world. Close seconds were Ducky and Abby; after that Tony, who had stuck the longest; and Ziva, whose observation skills made hiding things difficult.

"You need to stop looking at me like that," Jenny informed him quietly, redirected from what she was about to say.

Gibbs concentrated on her legs draped over him, ran his hand up and down from her knee to her ankle. "Can't exactly help it Jen."

She laced their fingers. "I know. I'm..." but Gibbs interrupted.

"No apologies Jen. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. There's just some...things I don't have that much control over."

Her eyes shadowed. Oh to just be able to release this tension both of them felt! But there was only one way that was going to happen, and it couldn't happen right now. "I know," she replied. "I think maybe...it's bedtime? For me at least."

Bill's advice about going to bed at the same time echoed in Gibbs' head. "I could sleep," he said at last.

Jenny didn't move right away and was reluctant to get up when she finally did move. But she shut the TV and lights off while Gibbs banked the fire and dealt with the alarm. He took her hand again as they climbed the stairs together and they took turns brushing their teeth and getting into pyjamas, still not able to do that in the same room.

Jenny was reading her book when Gibbs curled up beside her in their bed. After two nights away, he practically felt like one of them had been out of town, and was just now getting back. Gently he tugged the novel from her hands. "C'mere Jen," he suggested, "let me hold you for awhile."

Having no problem with that, Jenny gladly put her book away. But instead of staying on her side, she crawled over her husband and settled on his side of the bed. Gibbs gave her a strange look. She shrugged.

"It's where I slept when Rachel stayed over," she explained.

That was unusual and Gibbs was curious. "Why?"

Jenny wiggled down under the covers, mumbling something into the blankets.

"What was that Jen? I didn't quite catch it."

She glared at him. "Because this side of the bed smells like you! Happy?"

He grinned. "Very. So you like sleeping on the side of the bed that reminds you of me?"

"Fishing for compliments Jethro?" Jenny asked dryly.

"As a matter of fact, I might be. Just what is so great about the smell of my side of the bed?"

Jenny rolled her eyes. Then she realized it might be a serious question and knit her eyebrows together. "You really don't know?" He shook his head, not hiding anything. "Well," she smiled alluringly, deciding to share, "first there's your pillow. I especially love it when you come to bed right after you shower, because then your pillow smells like that Old Spice shampoo you use."

"Oh really?" Gibbs asked, a smile of pleasure stealing across his lips. He hadn't expected to learn something new tonight, but here his wife was sharing little details he hadn't known before.

"Yes really," she said, tracing her fingers over the cream coloured sheets. "And right here, where you sleep, it always carries this subtle scent of sawdust, and something that is uniquely...you." She shrugged. "This is where I sleep when you're out overnight on a case, or when you have to be gone for a few days. I lie here and imagine that I can feel your warmth on this spot, and imagine that I was in your arms, where I'm supposed to be. And the worst part was laying here and smelling you for two nights, knowing you were down the hall and not sure if you wanted to come back."

Gibbs tugged her closer, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "Jen...I didn't know," he whispered.

"Some things I never think to tell you," Jenny responded softly.

"I'm glad you did." He hugged her. "It makes me feel...special," Gibbs finished, not completely pleased with the word but also unable to find one that communicated his thoughts better.

Jenny snuggled against his chest, smoothing down his shirt. She frowned, fighting with herself for a moment. There was something she wanted, but whether it would make things better or just harder, she wasn't sure.

"Jethro," she called his name.

Gibbs was feeling very relaxed, with Jenny laying on him, and no secrets between them anymore. "Hmm?"

"You can...take your shirt off...if you want." Jenny tried to word it so that she wasn't asking, but letting him decide if her laying against his bare chest would be frustrating for him.

Her husband looked down at her, a question in his eyes. But he left it unvoiced, and Jenny sat up so he could get out of his t-shirt. Progress was sometimes hard to measure, but with a request like that and the realization that Jenny was in shorts and a tank top to sleep tonight, Gibbs realized something was changing. When he lay back down again, Jenny nestled beside him, just as she had been before.

Jenny smiled as she rested her cheek on Jethro's chest. His skin was warm, his heartbeat comforting and familiar. She ran her fingers in little circles through his chest hair, liking the way it felt. Gibbs certainly couldn't complain. Jenny still wasn't touching him much, but this was so natural, so like how they had been, that he couldn't help but enjoy it. After awhile, she just curled her arm around his neck and closed her eyes. She couldn't remember that last time she'd felt this relaxed, whether it was a week ago or a year ago, but what she did know was that falling asleep was so easy, she couldn't even remember the moment it happened.

NCIS

Sometime, in the darkest hours of the middle of the night, Gibbs woke up. He lay still for several moments, trying to work out just what pulled him from sleep. There was silence in the room, and no movement. Jenny was... he propped himself up on one elbow. Jenny was not in their bed. He remembered the last time that happened, but no matter how hard he listened, he did not hear any sounds of crying.

Scanning the room, Gibbs blinked bleary eyes and found his wife, standing at the uncurtained window, as pale moonlight streamed through, lighting up her silhouette. He held still, reading her posture and body language, trying to decide on his approach. But there was no tension in the way she was standing, no silent shaking of her shoulders to indicate that she was dealing with something. He frowned. If there was nothing wrong, she should still be sleeping beside him.

He spent a long time trying to decide if he should go to her or not. But he certainly wasn't getting any more sleep until she was nestled against him again, breathing peacefully. At the same time, she hadn't looked over this way yet, and the last thing he wanted to do was startle her, especially if there'd been a dream.

Finally he just went with the direct approach, figured that would tell him one way or the other what was going on. "Jen?" he called softly.

Jenny looked over her shoulder at him and smiled, but didn't say anything as her gaze was drawn back out the window. Gibbs slipped out from under the covers, and walked around the bed to join her. He positioned himself right behind her, prepared to be very careful about touching her. But Jenny sensed him there, and instinctively leaned back against his chest. As if this was a normal, every night thing, Gibbs slid his arms around her waist and held her for a long time.

At last he rested his chin on the top of her head. "What's wrong Jen?"

She shook her head, leaning it back against his shoulder. "Nothing," she answered, "I'm alright Jethro." She didn't want him to worry, which was precisely what he was doing right now.

Gibbs pondered her response. She said 'alright', not 'fine', so he knew it was the truth. 'Fine' just meant she was hiding something. After awhile, Jenny gestured to the stars, and the bright moonlight that lit their yard.

"It's beautiful tonight."

He chuckled silently. "You are," he replied.

An elbow dug gently into his ribs, and then Jenny just smiled and stayed where she was, content for the moment to just be. There was no schedules tomorrow, nowhere to be, and nothing that had to be done. So they could do something spontaneous, and watch the stars in the middle of the night, as they danced and twinkled through the sky, under the shining spotlight of the moon.