"What about Chinese for dinner tonight Ziva?" Tony asked casually as they finished up their paperwork before leaving for the day .
Ziva looked at him curiously. "I do not recall making plans with you Tony."
His expression fell. "It's Wednesday, movie night?" he reminded her hopefully.
"Tony..." Ziva began, trying to think of a kind way to dissuade him from reviving the past.
Tony walked towards her desk and sat on the edge, facing her. "Come on Zi," he practically begged, "movie night was a tradition, a good one. Don't let it die forever."
Ziva thought he was being slightly dramatic. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Zi?"
Tony's eyes widened when he realized he'd said it out loud and quickly tried to cover. "Umm, yeah, Zi. Like, well, you know, McGeek is Probie, Gibbs is...okay, Gibbs doesn't really count 'cause he's Boss, but then Abby is Abs so you need a nickname too. I was thinking Zi."
"Not Ninja?" she asked casually. He referred to her as one often enough, though Ziva didn't understand why. She had no formal ninja training.
Tony shrugged. "That too, sometimes, but Zi would be more for every day. What do you think?"
Ziva shook her head. "I have not decided yet."
Tony frowned. "Well, how will I know when you have?"
She picked up her backpack and swung her hair around with a grin. "When you call me that and do not get hurt you will know that it is okay."
"And if it's not okay?" Tony swallowed nervously.
Ziva shrugged. "Then I suppose you will get hurt. But only a little."
That did not make Tony feel any better. Who knew what Ziva's version of 'only a little' was? Suddenly he realized she was at the elevator and he grabbed his pack, making it there just before the doors closed.
"So was that a yes to Movie Night?" Tony asked as he slipped inside.
Ziva sighed and gave in. It wasn't as if she had plans or someone waiting for her at home.
"Fine Tony. I will join you for Movie Night."
His eyebrow raised. "And dinner?"
She looked at him as if the answer should be obvious and she was offended that he had asked. "Of course. You must feed me first if I have to spend two hours listening to your commentary on another movie."
"Good." Tony grinned. "And I was thinking we should try something new and actually eat in the restaurant for a change."
Ziva smiled. "Very well. But I'm using chopsticks."
Tony groaned. "What's wrong with forks?"
"That is not how the Chinese eat it," Ziva stated.
"But you're not Chinese," he pointed out, confused.
"What is your point Tony?" Ziva asked.
He shook his head. "Now you're just trying to confuse me." He paused and frowned. "Does this conversation even have a point?"
Ziva elbowed him. "Pay attention Tony."
"I thought I was!" he protested, then shook his head. "Never mind. Meet you there?"
"Yang Chows?" she confirmed.
"Best Chinese place in DC," Tony returned, getting in his car.
"Okay," Ziva agreed, preparing to follow him there.
Tony drove too slowly, too carefully, but she'd eventually teach him the right way to drive. After she taught him how to use chopsticks. It would not be easy, Ziva grinned to herself, but she was never one to back down from a challenge.
NCIS
Jenny wandered the aisle of Vaun's Market, while Gibbs followed behind pushing the cart. Periodically she would pick something off the shelf and drop it into the cart.
"What do you think for supper tonight Jethro?" she asked halfway through the store.
Gibbs rolled his shoulders. "I don't know. How about something simple, like pasta?"
Jenny considered that. "I could make my mom's homemade sauce," she said.
Gibbs looked excited. "With meat?"
Jenny smiled indulgently. "Alright Jethro, with meat."
He nodded. "Good."
Fresh produce soon took up residence in their cart, along with the other ingredients Jenny needed. Ground beef from the meat section soon followed, as well as several steaks because Gibbs insisted. Jenny just shook her head at him. Necessities like milk and bread were next, though Jenny wasn't sure if they'd be at Gibbs' house long enough this week to use it before it went bad.
She made a note to herself to try to spend more time at Jethro's place next week. When they first got married, they had a schedule of switching houses every weekend and spending at least two days a week at his house. But over the last month that had completely fallen to the wayside. Time to get back to routine, Jenny thought determinedly.
Finally they had what they needed and lined up at the front of the store. Their cashier was a young girl named Melanee. She was very friendly and chatted with both Jenny and Gibbs while she efficiently rang through and packed their groceries in cloth bags.
"That's a pretty ring Ma'am," Melanee smiled, pointing to Jenny's engagement ring.
Jenny held out her hand so the girl could get a better look at it. "Thank you," she said, glancing at her husband and noting the pleased look on his face.
"Y'all been married for awhile?" Melanee asked, typing in the produce codes with barely a pause.
"Going on eight months," Gibbs answered.
Melanee grinned. "That's cool." One of the steaks scanned twice and the cashier frowned. "Sorry, just a sec," she told Jenny. Picking up her phone, the girl paged a manager.
"Problem?" Jenny asked.
Melanee shrugged. "Anything over $10 can't be voided without authorization. Sorry about this." She waited, looking anxious, until an older woman with gray hair appeared and scanned her manager card.
"Thanks Nancy," the girl smiled. "Back in business."
When the total came up there was a tie between Gibbs and Jenny as they both shoved their credit cards at the cashier. Melanee's eyes widened and she looked back and forth between them. Gibbs wasn't quite giving her The Stare but he was close. Finally Melanee reached out and took Gibbs' card. He grinned triumphantly at Jenny who just barely contained the urge to stick her tongue out at her husband.
"Sorry Ma'am," Melanee's expression was apologetic. "But my dad says the guy should always pay. And I don't get in the middle of couple fights."
Jenny smiled. "That's alright Melanee. I'll just be quicker next time." They shared a look.
When Gibbs pushed the cart through to load the bags, he pointed at the girl. "Never apologize Melanee. It's a sign of weakness." He winked at Jenny. "Rule 6."
Melanee raised her eyebrows. "Somehow I don't think my mom would agree with that."
"Oh," Gibbs said seriously, "that rule most definitely does not apply to moms."
Melanee nodded thoughtfully, then threw him a grin. "What about brothers?"
Gibbs laughed. "Yup, it works for brothers."
"You got a rule for everything?" she asked, handing Gibbs the receipt to sign.
"For almost everything," Jenny put in.
Gibbs was remembering when he'd asked Shannon the same question. She was the reason the rules had started. He wasn't sure if he'd told Jenny that. She tended to try not to ask about his first family and Gibbs mostly kept their memory close to his heart. But he and Shannon had been married for ten years, they'd had a life together, one he hadn't willingly given up. Gibbs wondered if there were things Jenny wanted to know or if his memories would hurt her. He could imagine it wasn't always easy to not be his first love. Maybe he would ask her sometime.
Seeing the faraway look in her husband's eyes, Jenny nudged him gently. "Jethro," she said softly, "come on. Mel's got other customers."
Melanee shrugged. "No worries." She gave Jenny the receipt and smiled at the couple. "See you later. And if y'all decide to have kids, I love to babysit."
Because it was the appropriate response, the couple chuckled and Gibbs said quickly, "We'll keep that in mind." But kids was a subject that couldn't be spoken of right now, so they didn't.
Less than ten minutes later they finally made it back to Gibbs' house and dragged all their grocery bags into the kitchen.
Jenny dropped everything she was holding on Gibbs' kitchen table. "Whew!" she said, smiling. "We should go shopping for your place more often. We had to restock almost everything."
Gibbs shrugged. "The steaks are the most important."
Jenny raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were having pasta for supper?"
"We are. I'm just saying, if we re-stock, we could just get steak and I'd be happy."
Jenny rolled her eyes. "Contrary to popular opinion, there is more to life than steak."
Gibbs' eyes were serious. "I know. It's just one of the good parts."
"At least you have a short list of priorities Jethro," Jenny said finally. "Could you please brown the beef while I get the other sauce ingredients together?"
Gibbs kissed her cheek. "As you wish," he said softly and Jenny looked after him with shining eyes.
The next half hour was a peaceful one for them. No longer Agent and Director they got to enjoy being simply husband and wife. Arms, fingers, and bodies brushed casually against each other as they moved around the kitchen, making the meal together. At last Jenny turned the pasta off and lifted a spoonful of the sauce up, blowing on it gently.
"Want to try it Jethro?" she asked.
Gibbs left the salad he was finishing on the other counter and moved towards her. Carefully he tasted the still hot sauce.
"Mmm, that's real good Jenny," he told her, meaning it. He knew better than to lie to her about her cooking. She'd know.
Jenny looked at him questioningly. "It isn't missing anything?"
Gibbs tried a bit more and shook his head, then stopped, lowing her mouth to hers. "It might've been missing a little something," he murmured, kissing her again.
Jenny dropped the spoon back in the pot, stepping into her husband's arms. "I didn't know that was part of the recipe," she said softly.
Gibbs leaned down, brushing his lips against her ear as he whispered, feeling the shiver that ran through her. "Oh, that's the most important ingredient Jen. Don't you think?" Then he stood up straight and headed back to finish the salad. Glancing over his shoulder, Gibbs saw Jenny still standing there. "Jen, your sauce is burning."
Jenny snapped out of it and turned back to stir the sauce. She frowned at him. "That was mean Jethro," she complained.
Gibbs grinned. "Gives you something to look forward to later."
Jenny glared just for good measure, though on the inside she was smiling because she loved the promise of 'later'. It had been so long since she had been excited about that.
Within a few minutes the two were settled at the kitchen table, a couple candles flickering in the middle and the lights dimmed.
"What do you think Jethro?" Jenny asked after her first bite, loving how the taste of her mom's spaghetti sauce brought back good memories of a happy childhood.
Gibbs reached across the table, stroking Jenny's wrist with his finger. "It's perfect Jenny."
She smiled. The silence felt warm and enveloped them like a cozy blanket. Gibbs and Jenny mostly let their eyes and expressions do the talking. It was a language which they knew quite well and had spent years practicing. Now they could almost have an entire conversation without saying a single word.
I love you, his eyes said.
I know, her smile responded. Always? an arched eyebrow asked.
Of course, his dip of the head confirmed.
Thank you for asking, her thumb rubbing over her ring said.
I couldn't be happy without you, eyes answered seriously.
After awhile Jenny tilted her head to the side and met her husband's eyes. "Jethro," she asked, "are we okay?"
Gibbs' face registered surprise. "Why Jenny?" She looked away and shrugged. "Come on," he nudged her hand with his, "you asked for a reason. What is it?"
Jenny sighed. "It's just...things have been so up and down with us since what happened and for so long there was no such thing as a normal day. But this week," she looked up at him again, hope glowing in her green eyes, "it's been everything it should be." She tried to find words to explain the thoughts in her head. "But I know a couple of day of okay doesn't erase nearly a month of roller coaster emotions and moments that have been all over the place. I just wondered if we're still okay, after everything." Jenny wrinkled her nose. I shouldn't've opened my mouth, she thought. That sounded way better in my head.
Gibbs shook his head slowly and raised her hand to his lips for a kiss. "I love you Jenny, no matter what our days look like. But this week has been a nice treat." He met her eyes, confidence in his. "We're okay babe. I'd tell you if we weren't."
"No," Jenny smiled at him, "first you would try to pretend nothing was wrong, then you would hide it. When it finally got in the way, then you'd say something if I didn't first."
Gibbs shrugged. "You never know Jen, things have been changing this month. Maybe being more honest right away about stuff I'm thinking or feeling about us will be one of my new normals."
Jenny's eyes held all the thankfulness she didn't need to use words to express. She loved being loved by him. Just as every day of their marriage had been, Jethro was her very own miracle.
When supper was over and all the leftovers had been put away, they left the dishes soaking in a sink full of hot soapy water. They might not get washed tonight, but at least the food wouldn't get dried on. Jenny leaned against the doorway of the livingroom and watched her husband set the alarm and lock the door.
"Time to get back to the boat?" she asked.
"Want to join me?" Gibbs said instead of answering directly.
She shook her head, rolling her neck a little. "My body's feeling a little achy tonight. I think I need to soak in the bath for awhile."
Biting back the words he wanted to use to invite himself, Gibbs tried not to think how much he wanted to join Jenny in the bathroom. Again he told himself not to push her or press her, but just to let her healing happen and her comfort level with him, and them together, return at it's own pace.
"Okay," he nodded, not exactly looking at her. "I'll see you in a little while then?"
Jenny walked past him and squeezed his hand gently. "I'll come down."
Gibbs immediately headed for his basement, planning to get some bigger work done on the boat before his wife was done with her bath. They usually sanded the boat together. Strange how intimate manual labour could become when one combined a shadowy basement with a beautiful redhead and their bodies pressed together while he guided her hands along his boat. Just thinking about it was bringing back memories that Gibbs couldn't afford to focus on. No point in hoping for something that wasn't a sure thing yet.
Upstairs in their bathroom Jenny added several drops of her favourite bubble bath to the tub and turned on the water. While she waited for it to fill, she changed into her silky, flowered robe and let her hair out of the clip holding it up. Once the water nearly came to the top of the tub, she discarded the robe and sank gratefully into the hot water, closing her eyes as she rested her head back on the edge.
The hot water felt good to her tired, stressed body and she stretched out, her small frame taking up the length of the bathtub. It was peaceful in the empty room, just Jenny and her thoughts, which for once were not focused on everything that had happened. She was thinking about supper and how she loved making a meal with her husband. She thought back to going grocery shopping and their conversation with Melanee.
Even her brief meeting with SecNav hadn't been terrible and Jenny was glad to have everything out in the open now. No secrets, no hiding, no sneaking around. They could finally just be them, albeit a little subdued at work unless they were enclosed in the safety and relative privacy of her office.
Jenny lay there until the water started to cool and she lifted one hand, smiling at the wrinkled skin of her fingers. "I guess I'm done," she said before realizing she was talking to herself.
She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around herself, shivering when the cool air hit her wet skin. She drained the tub and then decided to jump in the shower quick to rinse off. While she was under the hot spray, Jenny reached for the shampoo and washed her hair too. It would be one less thing that she'd have to do tomorrow morning, she might even get to sleep for an extra ten or fifteen minutes. Wouldn't that be a treat?
Back in their bedroom, Jenny pulled on an old t-shirt and a pair of comfy pants, adding slippers to her feet simply because the basement floor wasn't always safe for bare feet. She descended the basement stairs minutes later, fresh and clean with a smile on her face and damp red hair hanging down her back.
"Can I help?" she asked brightly.
"Sure," Gibbs smiled, not able to stop himself from taking her hands and drawing her closer to him. "Here, let me show you how."
Jenny rolled her eyes at her husband, but let him place his hands over hers, his arms coming around her, even though this is about the thousandth time that he'd "demonstrated" how to sand the boat properly. Jenny rested her weight back against Gibbs' chest, the feel of his hands over hers so familiar. They didn't speak a word, the only sound that echoed in the darkened room a soft scraping noise of fine sandpaper over nearly smooth wood.
Them being that close together and just sanding doesn't last long though. It wasn't too many minutes before she could feel the tension begin to build in his body and finally Gibbs put his hands on her arms and turned her around to face him, taking a small step forward so she was pressed gently against the hull. Before she knew it his mouth was on hers, kissing her, and Jenny welcomed the caress, this moment one that had been played out a hundred times before.
"Close your eyes Jenny," Gibbs whispered, running his fingers over her face and his hands down her body, "let me show you what love feels like."
She only hesitated a moment before she obeyed, closing her eyes and focusing on the small things - the softness of his lips, the way their noses brushed lightly against one another as their heads tilted to better control the kisses, his fingers rubbing gentle circles along her sides as they moved slowly lower and lower.
Gibbs slipped his hand under Jenny's shirt while he kissed her. She jerked a little but relaxed as his fingers slid along her bare skin, heating it wherever he touched. Gibbs understood her reaction. Even though he'd touched her before, and many times this month, he'd been touching her all along, before it had always been on top of her clothes, their skin to skin contact limited to the one bath they'd taken together and the night after the kidnapping case.
With his hands spanning her waist, suddenly Gibbs could feel a difference in Jenny's body and it worried him. He pulled back from kissing her.
"Jen?" he looked at her questioningly.
"What?" Jenny's eyes were unfocused, her voice breathy.
He ran his hand down her sides again, around her back and across her stomach, following the curves under her shirt that were sharper now than they'd been a month ago. Then he stood back and looked at her body.
"You've lost weight."
She shrugged. "Maybe a little." Jenny tried to get him back to what they were doing before but he didn't like what he was seeing now.
"How much Jen?" Gibbs asked, frowning.
"I don't know."
"And I don't believe you," he snapped. "How much?"
"It's not like I'm keeping track Jethro!" she protested. She shook her head. "Ten, maybe? Or something close to that."
"You were fine before Jen. You didn't need to lose any weight."
"I didn't do it on purpose!" Jenny was frustrated. "I can't help that I don't want to eat, that food makes me feel sick. And I'm not really hungry anyways," she insisted. Tugging him back close to her, Jenny's eyes looked up into his, pleading with him. "Please Jethro," she begged, "just kiss me like you were. I'm alright. You don't have to worry." She put her hands around his neck and pulled him back down to her lips.
Oh Jen, Gibbs thought as he melted into her again, but I am worried for you.
Trying to forget, he let himself get lost in the pleasure of kissing Jenny. But every time his hands fell to her hips, he thought about it again. He wasn't comforted by her assurances, they were all lies even if she believed them to be the truth. He wished he could make her take care of herself, but he couldn't. Only she could do that and Jenny wasn't there yet.
Leaning back, Gibbs stared into her eyes for a long moment, then captured her lips again, kissing her hard, hoping it would convey how much he cared for her. Right now it seemed to be all he could do.