Gibbs looked up when the workshop door opened. Jenny came in, shivering a little and pulling her sweater tighter around her.
"Hey, all done?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Enough for now. But I hope nothing urgent comes up tomorrow. I'm still going to be stuck in my office most of the day." Gibbs made a sympathetic face and Jenny moved closer. "I wanted to come out and see what your secret project is."
He stood up and rubbed his hands down her arms to warm them. "It's a present for Abby and McGee, when they get married," Gibbs explained.
Jenny's eyebrows rose. "You know something I don't?"
Gibbs put his arms around her, resting his head against hers. "I've seen the way McGee looks at her," he whispered in Jenny's ear, his warm breath tickling her skin, "like Abby's his whole world and all his dreams come true." He tightened his hold a little. "It's the same way I look at you. I couldn't wait for you to be mine." Gibbs stroked a finger down Jenny's neck. "Tim's a smart man. He won't put it off too long."
Jenny smiled and reached forward to trace her finger over the sign. A gently waving line had been carved into all four sides and pictures were beginning to take shape in opposite corners. Words were already traced in the middle, to be burnt there permanently later.
"It's beautiful Jethro," she said admiringly, leaning back into his embrace again. "I'm sure they'll love it."
They stood in silence a few more minutes before Gibbs made a suggestion.
"Let's go for a walk Jenny, just down the street and back."
Jenny looked at him curiously but agreed, she had no reason not to. "Alright."
Back in the house to grab coats, Gibbs locked the front door behind them and took Jenny's hand. She still didn't like the dark very much and stayed close to him, but he didn't mind. At the corner they stopped and turned around just as a ruble of thunder sounded overhead. Gibbs and Jenny looked up and their eyes met.
"You don't think..." Jenny began, but Gibbs tugged on her hand.
"Walk faster," he urged.
But even power walking couldn't save them now. Before they were even halfway back to their house, the clouds opened up and rain came pouring down. Jenny shrieked as the cold water descended on them and they began to run. Half a block wasn't that much but by the time they made it back to their door they were already soaked to the skin. Gibbs fumbled with the keys and they spilled into the house.
Jenny caught a glimpse of herself in the hall mirror. "Oh wow," she laughed, shaking her hands and watching as water drops flew everywhere, "I look like a drowned thing." She didn't like rats and never used the saying properly.
Gibbs pushed his dripping hair back from his forehead. "I probably don't look much better."
She looked at him and started laughing, then her eyes lit up. "Ooh, this is definitely a photo opportunity," she smiled, reaching into her bag for the camera. Gibbs sighed resignedly and put his face next to hers, grinning at the last second before the flash went off.
The cold started to sink in and Jenny shivered. Gibbs noticed and helped her out of her soaking wet coat.
"Let's get you out of those wet clothes Jen, I don't want you getting sick."
Jenny's teeth chattered as she nodded and followed him upstairs quickly, wincing as the water made a mess all over her hardwood floor and was absorbed into the carpeted steps. Gibbs flicked on the lights in the bathroom and they both began stripping out of their dripping clothes. It wasn't until Jenny was down to her underwear and bra that she realized what they were doing.
She hadn't undressed in front of her husband since before her rape. Gibbs noticed her sudden stillness when he dropped his pants on the floor. He looked back and forth between them and understood. Rather than make the moment awkward though, he flipped on the shower and locked eyes with her, his smile holding only a hint of suggestion.
"Wanna share?" Gibbs asked in a low voice. "It conserves water you know."
Jenny gave him a ghost of a smile but stayed rooted to the spot, uncertainty in her eyes. Gibbs slowly moved closer and tipped her chin up so he could kiss her. It wasn't a demanding kiss or asking for more, but simply reassuring her about this next step, that everything was going to be okay.
Waiting to see if she would protest, Gibbs reached behind Jenny to unclasp her bra and pulled her panties down to her ankles so she could step out of them. He tried to keep his eyes off her body, not wanting to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was, though it had been too long since he'd been able to just look at her. Gibbs took off his boxers and tried not to react or feel hurt when Jenny closed her eyes. He reached for her hand and drew her into the warm, steam filled shower with him, where it was just the two of them under the hot spray of water.
Slowly Jenny opened her eyes and met her husband's gaze. She held it and concentrated on her breathing. Gibbs didn't move while she got used to everything. It was the first time Jenny had seen him naked since her kidnapping, even though they'd been in the bath and in bed together. There was no doubt that she loved her husband, but being this close to him without clothes on was making her nervous.
Jenny took a deep breath and slowly raised her hand to Gibbs' shoulder, running her fingers lightly over the long healed scars so close together from bullets that had torn through him there. Then her palm came to rest on his right side, remembering the three broken ribs that had left him sidelined for the better part of a month eight years ago. She needed to hold onto what was familiar about her husband's body, because she knew every inch of it, and it was nothing like the last man's body that had been this close.
She was trembling when Gibbs' hands came up to cup her face, but he just smiled and turned her around, reaching for the shampoo bottle. Squeezing a generous amount into the palm of his hand, Gibbs began rubbing the liquid gently into Jenny's hair, working his way down the length of it. She lowered her head when he was done so he could rinse all the bubbles out.
Conditioner came next and Gibbs carefully combed his fingers through her hair until there were no tangles left. He brought her back to face him, keeping his eyes locked on hers the whole time he was rinsing her hair out, loving how it felt like silk on his skin. This was so familiar for them, something they had done countless times. There was just an extra care and gentleness about it this night.
Jenny smiled at her husband and traded places with him so she could return the favour, opening his Old Spice shampoo and letting a pool collect in her hand. She reached up to lather it in his hair and Gibbs closed his eyes so they wouldn't be drawn places that would make Jenny uncomfortable.
Once she'd finished with his hair, Gibbs pulled her under the spray with him and cupped her face again, his eyes telling her 'thank you' and 'I love you' before his lips ever touched hers. Jenny responded immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck and putting her hand in his hair.
Suddenly it was her body pressed against his and Gibbs had to fight to keep his hands on safe places, to keep his thoughts away from what they used to do in the shower. But it was such a breakthrough moment for Gibbs and Jenny regardless, to be close like that, kissing while the warm water ran over them. It was time together that wasn't rushed. No interruptions could find them there and Jenny wasn't afraid to be in the small space with him. That was probably the best part.
Gibbs reached for Jenny's body puff next and filled it with bubbles from her body wash. It smelled like vanilla and almonds, it was the scent of his wife. He ran it over her back, right down to her hipbones, massaging the creamy foam into her skin. Up her arms and across her stomach, letting Jenny do the intimate areas herself.
When it was her turn, Jenny took the cloth and generic bar of soap her husband used and scrubbed it gently down his chest, over his back and up each arm to his shoulder. Now they were both clean and warm, but the hot water was holding out and they didn't want to get out yet.
"Turn around Jen," Gibbs said, and it felt strange to hear words intruding into their solitude, because this whole time they'd been speaking without them.
Trustingly, Jenny did as he asked and stood still while Gibbs kept his promise from earlier, pressing his strong fingers into her back, rubbing the soreness out all the way down to her lower back. Then she faced him again and rewarded him with a kiss.
Gibbs took a small step towards her and Jenny found herself pressed against the warm, wet shower wall while her husband took control of her lips again, his tongue begging entrance into her mouth. She enjoyed the feel of him so close, of them alone together without her fears intruding. Jenny leaned into Gibbs, parting her lips slightly, teasing him.
He broke the kiss only to start putting little soft baby kisses all over her face - her cheeks, nose and eyelids. He kissed her jaw, and her neck once, before finishing with a kiss on each shoulder. After that he was back to her mouth, drawing her into a moment of passion that left them both breathing heavily and knowing that this was when they either stopped or went further than they had up to this point.
Gibbs' eyes asked her, perhaps seeking permission for more but letting her choose. Jenny ran her fingers up his chest before lightly pushing him away. If he was disappointed, he didn't show it, and stepped back, taking the hint. Gibbs stepped out of the shower first, quickly wrapping a towel around his waist, then holding Jenny's towel out to her. She put it on herself, knowing it wasn't fair to ask him to be that close and not touch. She smiled at him and reached for her hair towel, after squeezing as much water out of her heavy hair as she could.
Jenny raised an eyebrow at her husband. "Why don't you go pack? Since you know where we're going."
Gibbs didn't take the bait and left the room, smiling annoyingly because he knew something she didn't for once. Jenny took advantage of the time alone to brush out her long hair and then blow-dried it, even brushing her teeth while she was at it. Ten minutes later Gibbs stuck his head in the door, fully clothed now.
"Gonna make coffee. Want some?" He was also going to call and make reservations for their weekend, but she didn't need to know that.
Jenny shook her head. "No thanks. But would you mind starting a fire? The warmth would feel really good after that soaking we got."
She was obviously unaware of the fire she'd already started in him, either that or pretending really well. "Sure Jen," was all he said before leaving.
Once out of the bathroom and in clean, dry, comfy clothes, Jenny pulled an overnight bag out of the closet and began to think through what she might need for the weekend. It had been so long since she'd been away from home for awhile that she was kind of out of practice. The first thing she reached for was the shiny black bag she'd hidden on the top shelf. It went in the bottom of her bag, in case Jethro decided to snoop. It happened occasionally.
Next came normal things like a few changes of clothes, a bathing suit and swim cap in case they were staying somewhere with a pool - it was her favourite way to de-stress and sometimes to exercise. A bag for jewellery, make up, and hair accessories joined her growing collection of stuff, along with a few other essential toiletries. Then Jenny's eyes fell on the one drawer in particular that she hadn't opened in a month.
Kneeling down in front of her dresser, she pulled the drawer out...and found something that hadn't been there before. For a long moment Jenny just sat and stared at the dried orange rosebud that lay on top of her lingerie. She picked it up, bringing it to her nose and breathing in the still lingering scent. Patient desire, she smiled, wondering when her husband had put his message there, and how long he'd waited for her to find it. She hoped that this weekend she would be able to reward him for his patience and constant love over the uneven, rocky ground of their last month together.
Jenny smoothed her hand over the soft silk and lace garments and began pulling them out one by one, thinking of the memories they held. Her favourite was a short, white, silk chemise with a lovely lace design on the front. The chemise had come with a matching silk dressing gown and she loved the entire outfit. It was what she'd worn on the first night of their honeymoon. Jethro had said she looked beautiful, but it was their first time together in seven years and well...it didn't stay on long. She smiled. He had made her feel so cherished that night.
She sorted through the drawer, coming up with a black, satin and lace negligee. That one had been from a weekend after they'd been married two months. Jenny had waited up for Jethro, he'd been out late on a case. She'd wanted to surprise him but had fallen asleep on the bed before he got home. Still, she hadn't been at all upset when he woke her with a kiss so he could get a better look.
At the bottom of the drawer was a short, pink, silk chemise, held together with a small 'x' of fabric in the front. That was the one she would take. Jenny remembered trying it on in the store, behind a curtain in the small cubicle. She'd let her hair down and examined her reflection in the mirror. It had made her feel very special and she knew it would make her husband happy. She was hoping for so much for them this weekend and by the flower she knew Jethro was too. On second thought, she also grabbed a purple silk nightie with white lace around the bodice. Better to be prepared.
Once she finished packing, Jenny tiptoed downstairs and found her husband in the livingroom, just sitting on the couch. She settled beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder, pulling her knees up to her chest. Gibbs dropped a kiss on her hair and wrapped his arms firmly around her. They sat there with the fire crackling in the background, watching the sheets of rain fall outside and listening to the thunder roar, completely content in the moment and in each other.