AUTHOR'S NOTE - It took me almost a whole year, but I'm back. And I've been in the Jibblet writing mood recently, so hopefully you can expect more. Granted, the Jibblet amount in this story is next to nothing. This is also the longest story I have written in a long time. And it turned out a bit angstier than I expected. But with a happy ending, so no worries. :)
Thank you to Marzia (MarciaRebafan) for reading it for me and reasuring me it wasn't overly terrible.

N.B. I posted a timeline in chapter one, so you can look it over, as it does differ from canon somewhat.

ENJOY!

MOCKINGBIRD

- May 1996

Turning the knob, Leroy Jethro Gibbs ran straight into the solid wood of his front door. It was yet another one of those cases that kept him in the office many hours longer than necessary, making it well after ten when he finally parked his car in the driveway.

Rubbing his forehead – that had the misfortune of colliding with the door – Gibbs frowned at his suddenly locked entry. Looking around, he wondered where his partner could've put the key, already smiling at the prospect of seeing his girls so unexpectedly.

It had been over four months since they managed to see each other last and to say he had missed them would probably be an understatement of the century. He hated this arrangement, but they somehow made it work for them.

Letting himself into the house quietly and firmly locking behind him, Gibbs left his shoes and jacket in the hall before going for the stairs. Smile was threatening to split his face in two.

That was, until he heard Jenny's soft voice coming from Charlotte's room.

"...Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring..."

Immediately, he was transported to another time and another place; another life, altogether, when another soft female voice sang the same verses to another little girl.

"And if that diamond ring turns brass, Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass. And if that looking glass gets broke, Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat..."

The giggling sound interrupted the song.

"I don't wanna billy goat, Mommy," – the four year-old said. "I wanna doggie."

"Hmm...we're gonna have to talk to Daddy about that," – the redhead said, looking pointedly across the room, at her husband.

"Nice goin', Shan. Make me the bad guy," – Gibbs replied, although his smile gave him away.

"Sing the rest of the song, Daddy," – Kelly demanded, climbing clumsily onto her Father's lap.

"Right, where were we? You said something about wanting a billy goat?"

"Silly Daddy," – his daughter's laughter filled the room again, making both of her parents smile fondly. "Now sing me about doggy."

Gibbs stood up, dancing in circles while singing to his baby girl.

"And if that billy goat don't pull, Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull. And if that cart and bull turn over, Papa's gonna buy you a dog named Rover..."

On shaky legs, Gibbs moved himself to the topmost stair, sitting down and resting his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees.

"And if that dog named Rover won't bark, Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart. And if that horse and cart fall down, you'll still be the sweetest baby in town."

The house was suddenly too quiet and Gibbs had to resist the urge to run down to his basement and drink himself to stupor. He knew things like that would happen – they already did happen sporadically – he just never expected to be so caught off guard. And boy, did it catch him off guard this time.

He flexed his hands before fisting them in an attempt to stop the shaking – he hasn't had it this bad since Charlotte was in his arms for the very first time.

A gentle hand touched his shoulder and he flinched then turned left to see Jenny sitting next to him on the stair.

Gibbs looked at her for what seemed like decades, so many things going through his mind. There was this woman he loved so much, right in front of him, and he hasn't seen her in almost half a year and he wanted nothing more than to envelope her in a hug and kiss her silly; and yet there was a woman he used to love just as much and she was now gone.

Taking a deep breath, he broke the eye contact and looked at the floor between his feet.

Jenny Shepard was looking forward to this moment so much, she had been smiling all day. Her hurting cheeks could easily attest to that. Being able to take a week off and visit her partner was something she'd been attempting to do for months, so when the opportunity finally came, she jumped at it without a second's though.

However, sitting in front of him now, she wasn't so sure any more.

"Jethro," – she said quietly, moving her hand from his shoulder.

She knew that look – she had seen it before. She wondered what triggered it this time.

They sat in silence for some time before his hand found hers and entwined their fingers.

"Kelly, uh, she used to love that song. Only thing that could get her to sleep."

Jenny squeezed his fingers. She wanted to scream at him that she wouldn't have sang it had he told her that – had he told her anything about his first family – but she didn't. Because she knew him enough to know he will tell her in his own time, on his own terms. That knowledge, however, didn't make situations like this any easier on her.

"Her sister is just the same," – she finally said looking at him, trying to decide on her next move. "Had to sing the damn song six times before she finally fell asleep."

Gibbs smiled slightly, but if faded quickly and he kept his eyes focused on their hands. He knew he was supposed to say something, anything, but the words had a hard time leaving his mouth.

"How come you're here?"

He saw the disappointment flicker in her eyes, but she soldiered on and he was eternally grateful for that.

"Finally got a week off so we decided to repay you that visit we owed you," – Jenny said, recalling with a wistful smile the visit Gibbs paid them for Christmas and New Year's.

"I'm glad you did," – he said. "How's Spain?"

There was a short silence before Jenny answered.

"Good, it's good. We miss you."

"I know."

He finally tugged her hand towards him, bringing her in for a fierce hug. He buried his face into her neck and took a few deep breaths, feeling the shaking of his hands subside.

"I miss you, too," – he murmured into her skin before kissing it gently. "God, I hate this whole fucking ordeal."

Jenny drew him in closer still, hanging on to him for dear life. Her head was leaning onto his, her eyes closed as she felt the tears prickle. She wanted to fight them off, but the moment Gibbs put his hand in her hair, tangling his fingers in it and tugging gently the way he loved to – the way she loved him to – she knew it was a losing battle.

He pulled her hair back and kissed her forehead, her nose and, finally, her lips, as the tears slid down her cheeks slowly.

"God, I missed you," – he whispered against her mouth before moving his thumb to wipe away the tears. "Don't cry," – he said softly, kissing both of her eyelids before kissing her lips again.

Jenny leaned her forehead against his when the kiss was over and looked into his eyes, debating what to say to him.

Before she could say anything, however, Gibbs leaned back against the railing, separating every connection between their bodies. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath; then another.

"When Kelly was three, she got chickenpox. She was itching all over and we had to distract her, so I, uh" – he made a pause, a small smile gracing his lips. "I decided to act out Mockingbird for her. It turned out to be a bad idea, as she loved it and I ended up singing it fifteen times in one afternoon. Had to sing it to her every night after that."

He chuckled softly to himself, before opening his eyes and looking at Jenny. She felt something inside her give at the realisation that he had the same look in his eyes when he looked at Charlotte as when he talked about Kelly. She smiled in return, reaching tentatively for his hand.

He tugged her back to him, moving her in-between his legs before placing his lips next to her ear.

"Don't ever think I love you less. Please, don't ever think that."

The whisper was followed by a gentle kiss on her temple.

Jenny drew in a shaky breath, nodding her head while squeezing Gibbs's fingers with her own.

"Welcome home," – he breathed against her cheek.