Another chapter, this will concern flashbacks to Jenny's childhood, and the relationship she had with her father. The text in italics is Jenny's memory; I will be cutting into the memory with conversation between her and Gibbs.

Chapter 2

Gibbs held Jenny in his arms. He let her sob into his chest. They stood together for over 3 minutes before Gibbs spoke.

"Jen, what happened?" Jenny's sobs began to quickly subside, and she turned her face away from Gibbs. Jenny slid to her chair and collapsed into it, Gibbs sat on the corner of her desk taking her hand in his. Jenny looked up into Gibbs face and saw his familiar smile; it never failed to make her feel better. She sighed.

"My mother died when I was a baby, my father bought me up."

Jenny's memory

Jennifer Shepard awoke to see the sun slipping through a gap in her curtains. Her walls flooded with sunlight bringing out the cream colour, and bathing her white duvet in sunlight. She sat up and stretched glancing at her clock. 06:00; her father should be awake in his study by now. She pulled back the duvet and slipped her feet into her slippers and pulling her robe around her nightdress. She walked downstairs to her fathers study passing their house keeper on the stairs.
"Morning Señora Jenny"
"Morning Naomi, is my father in his study?"

"Si" Jenny smiled and continued to her father's study. The door was shut like normal; Jenny slipped into the kitchen and poured herself and her father a cup of coffee. Grabbing both of them she walked back to the study and opened the door.

Jasper Shepard was sitting in his chair behind the desk. His soft white hair was combed back, and he was wearing his full uniform. He smiled at his daughter and gratefully accepted the coffee.

"Sleep well?"

"Like a log, why are you wearing your uniform, they ask for you back at the office?"

"Sort of darling, but it doesn't matter." Jenny felt that something was wrong yet she couldn't put her finger on what. She lifted her head and gazed around the study. Everything was in order, just the way both she and her father liked it. The books were in order; his liqueur cabinet had bottles lined up in order and glasses stood on the top shelf.

"What are you going to be doing today then?"

"Not really sure, I thought I might go into town with Naomi, we need some more food."

Jasper Shepard looked up at his daughter; she was the exact image of her mother. Her long red hair had been the main thing he wanted his daughter to inherit from her mother; he knew that she would be fighting off the men in a few years time. It broke his heart to know that he wouldn't be there for her. Over the years he had been less and less of a father to Jennifer. He would often go on missions over seas and leave her in the safe hands of their housekeeper. He knew that it was her who had bought Jennifer up, not him. The only thing she had inherited from him was his short temper. He smiled up at his daughter before reaching into his desk draw and pulling out a handful of dollar bills, before placing them in her hand and closing her fingers around the bills.

"Take these and buy yourself something nice."

"Dad…"

"I won't take no for an answer Jennifer." Jenny stopped arguing. When her father called her Jennifer she knew that it was pointless arguing back.

"Thank you dad" Jenny leaned forward and kissed her father, before slipping out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Jennifer?" Jenny poked her head round the study door.

"I'm sorry darling, for not being there for you, but I promise that things will get better from now on." Jenny was confused. She knew her father hated himself for leaving her in Naomi's care whilst he went away on missions, but he also know that she understood how important his career was to him.

"Dad you have nothing to be sorry about."
"I love you Jenny."

"Love you too dad."

"I didn't know at the time, but now I realise that that was his way of saying goodbye. I should have known."
"Jen, you could never have known what your father was planning."

"Be it so, I shouldn't have gone out with Naomi, I should have stayed behind with him."
"What good would it have done?" Jenny sighed and continued with her story.

She and Naomi had been out for 2 hours buying food, before they had left Jenny had slipped into the local boutique and bought herself a dress. It was pale blue with a darker sash around the middle. She knew her mother had once owned a dress like it, she was wearing it in a picture her father had in his study. She slipped back into the car beside Naomi, and they began the drive home.

"Your father will love your new dress."
"I hope so, I know my mother had one just like it."
"Ah yes, I thought it looked familiar. There is a picture of her wearing it in Señor Jasper's study." Jenny laughed. It was just like Naomi to not miss a thing. They pulled into the driveway; her father's car still sat there in the exact spot in had been in before they left. Jenny jumped out of the car, and helped Naomi take the bags into the house.

"Dad, we're back!" Silence filled the house. Her father's study door was shut and their was a note tapped to the door,
"Please don't interrupt me dear, I need to get some work done." Jenny smiled. Her father never liked to be interrupted when he was working. Lately he hadn't been working as much, he had been sent home one day from work early. He never told Jenny or Naomi why, but Jenny knew that something had been wrong. She hoped that maybe now he was getting his life back. She slipped upstairs to her room and changed into her new dress, before joining Naomi in the kitchen to make cakes.

Hours passed and before Jenny knew it, dinner was ready. She quietly walked to the door of her father's study and knocked.

"Dad? Dinner's ready, are you coming?" No answer.

"Dad, have you fallen asleep again?" Still no answer.

"Dad? Dad, I'm coming in dad." Jenny pushed against the door and it opened.

Jenny started crying again; Gibbs slipped his arm around her pulling her close again. Jenny continued crying as she told Gibbs the last of her story.

The room was intact except for the body of her father laying face down on the desk. Jenny slipped round the desk up to her father.
"Daddy?" Tears welled up in her eyes, she saw the gun still in her father's hand, the blood on the desk had dried.

"Daddy!" Jenny let the tears flow from her eyes. Naomi must have heard her calling because she came running to the study. She stared with disbelief at the sight which met her eyes.

"Senora Jenny?"

"He's dead" Jenny cried through the tears. Naomi flew into the room and pulled the sobbing girl into her arms. This shouldn't be happening. Jenny was only 18, she had celebrated her birthday only 3 weeks ago. Colonel Jasper Shepard was a good man who loved his daughter dearly; he would never leave her. Jenny sobbed into Naomi's shoulder as she took her gently out of the room and into the kitchen. She sat her down with a glass of bourbon and went to call the police. Jenny just sat eyes wide staring at the wall, the glass lay on the table untouched.

A few weeks later Jenny and Naomi were at the solicitor's office for the reading of her father's will.

"I, Coronel Jasper Mark Shepard, leave all that I stand to possess to my only child Jennifer. I ask that she keep our housekeeper Naomi with her, and that she can one day forgive me for what I have done to her." Jenny just sat in silence.

"There was also this letter which he specifically asked that only you read." Naomi took the letter and thanked the solicitor. They left the building in silence and got into Jenny's car. She was silent for the ride back to the house. Naomi took her inside and up to her bedroom. She left her there with the letter from her father. For a long time Jenny just stared at the last thing her father had ever done for her, before slowly opening it.

My darling Jennifer,

If you are reading this then the only thing I can say is I'm sorry. I never wanted to leave you but I felt there was no other way out. I need to explain to you the circumstances surrounding my death. I have been accused of taking a bribe from an Arms Dealer called Rene Benoit, or La Grenouille, and therefore I am under and investigation from the CIA. I assure you my darling daughter I have never taken a bribe from anyone ever, yet the CIA doesn't believe me. I am losing my career due to one mistake, and I cannot deal with this anymore. My darling if I could think of another way out of this then I would have taken it, I never wanted to leave you alone. You must promise me that you will keep Naomi on, she has become like a second mother to you, and I don't want you to arrive home every night to an empty house. I also know about how much you want to join the navy, I have never been more proud of you.

I want you to be happy Jennifer; I don't want you to end up alone because of me. I want you to find someone, settle down, be happy, as your mother and I once was. Promise me that. I love you my darling daughter, you are the light of my life and I will always be with you.

All my love, now and forever

Dad

Gibbs sat holding a sobbing Jenny in his arms. He had known that her father committed suicide when she was 18 and she had practically bought herself up, yet he had never heard the full story. He had never known that Jasper Shepard had been accused of taking a bribe, or that Jenny had been the one to find his body. He pulled her closer, wanting to never let her go or get hurt again.

"Jen," Jenny slowly lifted her head to meet his. "Why didn't you tell me? We have been partners for so long, how could you keep this from me?"

"The same way you kept Shannon and Kelly a secret from me. I have a past Jethro, that's just it, a past. And now my whole life is being questioned and I don't like it. I just want things to be the way they once were. That man downstairs isn't my father. He died when I was 18." Jenny's voice rang clear with determination, Gibbs still held her close. She didn't fight to escape his arms.

"Jen I should have told you about Shannon and Kelly. I know now that not telling you was a mistake, if I could go back and change it I would." He smiled at the red-head in his arms. She smiled back before nestling into him; his arms making her feel safe. It was at that point that Gibbs knew that although he had let her go once, there was no way on heaven or earth that he was going to let her get away again.

Awww ^_^, hope everyone enjoys Jenny's memory. Please read and review, and I will try to get another chapter up soon, I really like where this story is heading.

Happy reading

Beth