Disclaimer – I don't own ncis

Authors note – sorry it is late, this week ad been total madness!

Hope it is okay, and thanks for all your reviews – they make my day!

Enjoy…

Cathy and Clara were now 6 months old. They were the apples of both of their parent's eyes. Neither Jenny nor Jethro could quite believe their look when they woke up each morning. Both of them would never risk losing what they both had, things had come too close to that too many times. For both of them this was a new start, a fresh start, they would always be in the way of danger day in day out, always be risking their lives for their countries, yet now they had a reason to stay safe : each other, and two girls who lit up their worlds.

Both Cathy and Clara were the perfect mixture of their parents. Catherine had bold red hair that was ever so slightly brighter than Jenny's, he eyes were a stunning blue that were the exact replica of her dads. Clara had brunette hair like Jethro's had once been yet with a tinge of red in the light, she had elegant green eyes that glistened and matched her mother's exactly. It turned out that Cathy had the big voice and was the once to demand the attention whilst Clara would wait patiently which was uncommon for babies. Yet both Jenny and Jethro loved both of their daughters equally.

Today though was no day for Jenny to celebrate. She'd returned to work near enough full time and left Cathy and Clara in the care of Noemi. Jethro hadn't wanted her to come back so soon but she had stuck to her guns. But today was a hard day, today was a day that every year rocked her heart.

Jenny Sheppard sat at her desk in the bull pen. Her team had no case for once but they weren't moaning. Recently they had had case after case; barely getting a moment's thought in-between each. Jenny had barely seen her girls or husband, never mind looked after them. Jethro had been backed up with cases which meant neither were home at the same time and when they were all they wanted to do was sleep. Unfortunately, even thought they had no cases the amount they had had in the short period of time had left a massive back log of paper work. Jenny had sent Harry and Maria to go an get coffee as she could tell they were bored. By the looks of it Jethro was not allowing Stan and Chris the same privileges. She sighed, her mind wasn't on her husband though, nor was it on her paperwork or team or her girls. Instead her attention was on the memories which today held.

17 00 came and all three of Jenny's team had made good progress in their cases. She had heard Maria say she had a date tonight and Harry say he was meeting up with some mates later. Smiling at how both her junior agent managed to have social lives even with this as a job she decided to let them go. "Go home you two, Harry had fun – no hangovers though or I'll send you to the gym, Maria good luc, and be yourself." There was a chorus of thankyou's from them both before they left. Looking over at her husband's desk she saw it empty and decided to leave. She left a sticky note on his computer screen and left NCIS headquarters, hoping to god she didn't see anyone whom she knew on her way out.

-a mistake-

She laid her head back against the cool leather seats, she could feel the tears burning as they begged to be released, but she couldn't, not yet. She could feel her hands trembling, this was the hard part. The rest of the year it was just a dull ache, then today it was like someone had turn open the world, exposing it and rubbing in lemon juice. Yet with a deep breath she got out of the car. She knew one day, in a few years maybe when they were old enough she would have to bring her daughters here, let them talk to the grandparents they never had.

Jenny walked down the path, listening the therapeutic sound of he gravel beneath her feat. She walked along the twisting path, past the old grumbling gravestones centuries old, neglected in their lory. Past those pristine marble head stones, the white ones of baby's lost too soon, the shiny ones of rich men people want to be remembered. But this wasn't where her father should have been buried, he should have been laid to rest at Arlington, with all the other military hero's, instead he was with those who hadn't protected their country like him. IT was something she would never forgive the Marin e corps for.

She carried on walking down the winding path until she had left behind the majority of graves. She moved into a canopied area where few graves were. There was a small area neatly kept in the corner where two graves sat. Both black in colour, granite but not glossy. They weren't out-spoken, but delicate. The statements engraved meaning full.

Jenny sat down on the cool grass, pulling her jacket around herself. It had been too long since she had visited, and she knew that. The guilt hit her as she realised.

"Hey dad, mum. So, what can I say, sorry probably, even though Jethro doesn't agree with apologies. Yeah, so the wedding was amazing, really beautiful. I suppose…I dunno…the girls are getting bigger now. They are gorgeous. Catherine Louise and Clarissa Jasmine. I named her after you mum, and in a way in memory of you dad. I wonder sometimes what life would be like if you two were here. I think you'd like Jethro, mum you'd adore the girls, spoil them rotten. They'll be so different, I can tell. But both will have the Sheppard temper."

She sat in silence, playing with the grass.

"I miss you, both of you."

She felt a cold drop of rain on her creak and began to feal more falling."

"I have to go, I love you, Semper fi."

With that she left. When he got home Jethro knew where she'd been, just like she always knew when he went to see Shannon and Kelly. They were in sync, in every way possible.

Please review

(if you like then please go read my other story reality strikes, I'd love it if you did)

Thank you xxxx