A/N: Okay...just so you know, I'm not Irish. I wish I was, but I'm not. So all that stuff in the middle is my best guess combined with scant research about how the words sound with an accent. If anybody is reading this who is Irish, I promise I'm not making fun and I'm not trying to offend. Y'all can feel free to correct me if you want. Thanks again!
Saturday morning found Gibbs and Jenny laying side by side as the sun's early rays kissed their skin good morning. Jenny opened her eyes to find her husband watching her.
"Morning," she said sleepily, closing her eyes again. Jenny wasn't entirely sure she wanted to be awake yet.
"Hey Jen," Gibbs asked, planning to make the most of this time alone with her, "want to get breakfast?"
Jenny snuggled deeper under the covers. "Too early," she muttered.
He ran his warm hand over her shoulder and neck. "Come on Jen, please?" Gibbs wheedled.
Jenny's eyes snapped open. "Did I just hear Leroy Jethro Gibbs say 'please'?" she asked incredulously.
"Hey!" he held up his hands in defense. "It's not like I never use the word."
One of Jenny's eyebrows rose slowly. "A countable amount of times in one's life does not count as using it Jethro."
"Is that a yes?" Gibbs asked hopefully.
Jenny closed the few inches of space separating them, settling her lips softly on his. Gibbs moaned quietly, loving this contact with her. His hand slipped under the sheet, his arm snaking around Jenny's slender waist to pull her warm body even closer to his. Gibbs rolled more onto his back, bringing Jenny with him without breaking the kiss. Now she was laying partially on top of him, their skin touching almost entirely from head to toe.
When Gibbs' hand fell below her waist, Jenny leaned back and shook her head slightly before smiling.
"Yes," she said.
Gibbs was suddenly confused, finding it hard to have a coherent thought with his wife draped across his body. "Yes what?" he asked, trying to clarify.
Jenny kissed him again and laughed lightly. "Yes, let's get breakfast."
He glared at her. "That was mean."
Jenny moved away from him and grabbed her dressing gown from the floor. "Wake me up and suffer the consequences," she grinned, heading to the bathroom. "I'll be ready in ten minutes."
"I'll get you back for that," Gibbs warned.
"Yes," she said demurely, "I'm counting on it."
Laying back on the bed, Gibbs let out a long breath. He stayed there, not moving for several minutes, before getting up and dressed. Casual was the order of the morning and Jenny must've figured as much because she came out of the bathroom ten minutes later wearing jeans and a long sleeved sweater, just finishing putting her hair into a ponytail. Gibbs came towards her and pulled her into his arms, twirling her hair around his finger.
Jenny leaned into the hug, extremely thankfulness for the tenderness of last night and the normalcy of this morning. Little by little they were working on her fears and finding their way back to each other. Gibbs took her hand when they parted and Jenny grabbed the heavier coat she'd packed, knowing she'd be glad for the extra warmth in the chilly November air outside.
Holly met them at the bottom of the stairs, an apologetic expression on her face. "Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs. I'm afraid the first breakfast isn't served until 8:30." She eyed them curiously. "Most of our guests like to sleep later in the morning."
Jenny smiled. "Not a problem. Can you recommend somewhere in town?"
The older woman brightened. "Actually, Maggie's Bakery just down the street at the corner is fabulous. She makes the most wonderful pastries and her croissants are so light and flaky you'd swear you were in Paris."
Gibbs and Jenny exchanged a look. It always came back to Paris for them. "That sounds great, thanks," Gibbs said, helping Jenny with her coat and doing up his own. They stepped out into the fresh, crisp air and started down the sidewalk, enticing bakery smells calling to their senses while they were still a block away. They soon reached the little shop and Gibbs held the door for Jenny, a little bell above it jingling to announce customers.
A plump woman in her golden years stood on the far side of the counter, watching the timer on an industrial oven. She turned towards them with a smile.
"Good Morning lovies," she said warmly, her accent reminding the couple of a brief stint of time spent in the heart of Ireland, "What kin I get for you?"
Jenny liked her immediately. "We heard your pastries and croissants praised quiet highly," she began.
The woman tutted and took another peek at her cookies. "Whist now. Ye must be stayin' a' Bluebird Hollow then. Holly and I have been frinds since she opened the place almost twenty years ago. She's forever sending guests my way." Maggie smiled. "I'm a wee bit spoiled having her inn so close."
The oven beeped and she pulled out a tray of large, almond crisp cookies, sliding them onto a cooling rack with practiced familiarity. The woman wiped her hands on the apron that covered her entire front and moved efficiently to the other counter, pulling two plates off a shelf and selecting a couple light brown, curved rolls. Maggie handed the plates to Gibbs and Jenny.
"Ye must be peckish if ye haven't eaten yet." She waved them over to sit at one of the small tables near the window. "See if they live up to all Holly's blather."
They sat down and Gibbs bit into one end of his croissant while Jenny delicately peeled off the top layer of hers.
"Mmm," she said, closing her eyes. "Jethro, isn't this like...?"
He nodded and looked over at Maggie, who was waiting to see what they thought. "Did you ever work in Paris Maggie?"
She winked. "I might've learned a few secrets at one or two o' the cafes," she answered, leaning against the counter.
After letting Gibbs and Jenny enjoy their breakfast for a couple minutes, she spoke again. "Right, can I get either o' you a cup of tea or coffee?"
Jenny nodded eagerly. "Tea please."
"Coffee would be great, thanks Maggie," Gibbs added.
A few minutes later the older woman appeared with a tray holding two mugs, cream, sugar, a pot of tea, and a small pot of coffee for Gibbs. As Jenny fixed hers, Maggie watched carefully.
"Such lovely hair," she commented, "and green eyes too. Are ye sure ye're not Irish dear?"
Jenny took a sip of tea and shook her head. "American for several generations I'm afraid, although I do love your country Maggie."
"What's your name?" their hostess asked.
"Jenny," she replied.
"Ah, Jennifer. Well now, that's Irish."
"About the only part of me that is besides my hair," Jenny laughed.
"Except maybe her temper," Gibbs added, grinning at the look on his wife's face.
Maggie sighed and returned to her kitchen while the couple enjoyed their drinks.
The bakery was warm and welcoming, Maggie's occasional comments and efficient scurrying around as she tended to her creations comforting, and the company...well, Gibbs and Jenny only had eyes for each other.
When at last they were finished, they went back up to the counter.
"Thank you Maggie, that was delicious," Jenny smiled, glad to have met the Irish woman.
"How much do we owe you?" Gibbs asked, reaching for his wallet.
Maggie clucked her tongue. "On the house today dears."
Jenny's eyebrows rose. "Are you sure?" They would not experience such generosity at a shop in DC.
The woman waved her hand as if it was inconsequential. "My pleasure."
Both smiled warmly. "Thank you," Gibbs said.
"See you again!" Jenny smiled, waving goodbye as they left.
"Yes, and I sure hope so," Maggie replied quietly, going back to her work. "Take care now."
NCIS
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining in a clear blue sky, and Gibbs and Jenny were happy. The city whose streets they now wandered was still quiet this Saturday morning, although a few people were beginning to appear here and there. With linked hands the couple strolled down Main St., entering any shop that looked interesting, no destination or purpose in mind except to enjoy the day and each other.
After a couple of hours, Gibbs turned to Jenny. "What sounds good for lunch?"
She looked at him, wondering how long she was going to be under a microscope when it came to food. But it wasn't worth spoiling their weekend over.
"Soup?" Jenny suggested, looking for something warm.
"Good enough," Gibbs nodded and began keeping his eyes open for restaurants.
On the other side of the street a few blocks down and squeezed between two other businesses, was an innocuous looking place, the sign on the front declaring it to be Garden Delights. The tagline underneath said, 'If It Grows There, We Cook With It.' He pointed and Jenny read the sign, agreeing silently.
The restaurant was fairly quiet, though a few other patrons sat in the booths lining both walls, quietly eating their meals. A young man at the counter looked up when they came in.
"Be right with you," he said.
His nametag said Travis, his boyish face and gelled, spiky hair making it clear he was a high school student working a part-time, weekend job. Jenny always tried to remember their names. Having worked in thankless, part-time jobs as a student herself, she liked to make waitresses, cashiers, paper boys, and anyone else with a nametag feel important and appreciated.
Gibb scanned the menu board, choosing his food without fanfare. Jenny however, read over each individual item carefully and weighed it against what she wanted and what her stomach felt like or didn't feel like. The choices were varied. Fresh homemade soups and chowders, chilies and stews. Wraps, salads, and vegetarian sandwiches, even a few desserts were listed. Jenny bit her bottom lip. As decisive as she was in every other area of her life, especially her job, she always struggled when faced with a menu full of choices. Finally she made her decision, and nodded at her husband.
Travis stood at the cash register, looking at them expectantly. "What would you like?"
"Potato chowder," Gibbs replied. "With bacon. And a coffee."
"Ma'am?" Travis asked once he'd punched Gibbs' order into the computer.
"Cream of broccoli soup please, and a bottle of water," she added, keeping it simple.
"Okay." The guy hit a few more buttons and named the total, looking to Gibbs, who already had his wallet out. "If you'll just take a seat, Mark will bring your orders over when they're ready," Travis informed them, turning his attention to the next customer.
Gibbs let Jenny pick where they sat and she decided on a booth right in front of the window. She liked to people watch. Gibbs on the other hand, preferred to Jenny watch. So he watched her, his fingers rubbing gently over hers, as Jenny watched the people outside contentedly, her head resting on her hand.
A dark haired teenager who looked to be about the same age as the one at the counter, brought their food over not too much later, steam rising from their bowls and Gibbs 'to go' cup of coffee.
"Enjoy," Mark said, and disappeared again.
Jenny watched enviously as Gibbs took a sip of his coffee. "That's really unfair," she sighed. "If I ever got-" she started to say something but caught herself, immediately looking away.
Gibbs noticed and had a pretty good guess about what Jenny had almost said. He sighed quietly. They'd have to talk about kids eventually, it was a conversation they'd been avoiding since getting back together. Gibbs had the memory of Kelly to deal with, and he had a feeling Jenny was a little concerned because it had been seven months and she hadn't gotten pregnant yet.
If it was something they both wanted, they were running out of time with their ages, even if he was several years older than Jenny. But for this weekend, that was a topic better left untouched. Maybe when they got home, maybe in a couple weeks when things had settled down more. But that was always their excuse. So Gibbs made believe he hadn't heard what she didn't say and Jenny paid attention to her soup like it was the best food she'd ever tasted.
In all honesty it was quite good, the taste of fresh ingredients clear in each spoonful. Half the bowl was gone before Jenny couldn't eat anymore, and just like supper last night, she'd barely even noticed. That has to be a good thing, right? she asked herself, smiling at her husband when he noticed.
Gibbs thought his chowder was very good, seasoned nicely and filling, and he was glad for the bigger spoon he'd gotten with it. Sipping off the small spoons that Jenny always used got tiresome. Finally they both sat back, full and warmed up, and he met Jenny's eyes.
"Ready to head back?" he asked.
Jenny nodded, the faraway look in her eyes disappearing. "Works for me."
When they made it back up to their room, Jenny dropped onto the bed, which had been re-made in their absence. "Someone," she turned accusing eyes on Gibbs, "woke me up early on a Saturday. I think I need a nap."
Gibbs tried to think of the last time before this month that Jenny had taken a nap in the middle of the day. He couldn't remember once time. Usually she was the woman who thought she could go as long without sleep as he could.
"Feeling okay Jen?" he asked, his brow furrowed.
Jenny opened her eyes and looked at him, seeing the concern there. "Just a little tired Jethro. That's all, I promise."
"Okay." He grabbed the extra blanket from the end of the bed and draped it over her, brushing his hand down her cheek and kissing her lightly. "I'm going to go talk to Holly about dinner."
"Mmhmm," Jenny murmured, not really paying attention, sleep already tugging at her.
Gibbs smiled at his sleeping wife and left the room quietly. Tonight had to be special. They'd been waiting weeks and it finally felt like the right time.