Hello friends! Yes, I finally managed to post the Sequel! I know this chapter is very short but I promiste the next ones won't be!

"You should go home, it's getting late."

As if frozen, she stood in front of the room, looking into the room through the window in the door. Her mind was already far away, no longer here. She didn't even know how long she had been standing here, what time it was, or what was actually happening. It happened so fast. Her last memory was suddenly finding herself in the ambulance – everything else was just fractions.

"Jenny?"

Slowly, she turned her head to the person, feeling a warm hand on her back. Tiredly, she looked at the person in front of her, and only now did she realize how draining the last few hours had actually been.

"Go home."

"No, I ... I'd like to stay.", she murmured softly, turning her head back again.

"There's nothing you can do for him now anyway, besides, I thought the doctors said he wouldn't wake up until tomorrow."

"Still, I can't sleep now anyway."

Silently, the former Secretary of the Navy regarded her. He could already see the dark circles under her eyes that would form tomorrow at the latest. Her posture clearly showed she needed rest and urgent sleep. But what was he supposed to do? He couldn't force her, of course he could understand that she would much rather stay here, but there wasn't much she could do for him either. The last thing he needed was for her to collapse from exhaustion. That didn't really help anyone, at least herself!

"Jenny, be reasonable, let DiNozzo drive you home."

He looked pleadingly at the woman across from him, worried she was taking on too much.

"You don't have to sleep, it's enough if you at least lie down for a few hours and try to get some rest.", he said quietly.

Her hair had come out of its tight ponytail quite a while ago, and the long curls hung tangled over her shoulder. She couldn't think about sleep at all now, she didn't want to go home either. Something inside her said she had to stay, here, with him. So much had happened in the last few years, they had worked closely together, spent a lot of time together, and it was leaving its mark. Jarvis had become a very important part of her life as well as her professional career over the past few years. Even now, Clayton Jarvis was a great support, just as he was then. He was one of the few who was also schooled in her case, and he always had her back – even came to see her in the hospital very often back then.

She just had to be there for him. She owed him that.

Sleepily she opened her eyes. She had already completely tuned out the monotonous beeping of the many devices. She couldn't remember when she had fallen asleep at all, how long she had remained in this position, and where she got the blanket, that lay over her legs, from. However, it could only have been one of the nurses, after all, they also let the redhead into his room overnight. From her long-term hospital stay, she knew that there was a set visiting time in the ICU and that the nurses as well as doctors made an exception.

She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice the door behind her slowly open. An older man stepped into the room, wearing a green gown just like hers.

"How are you?"

She moaned softly as she tried to get herself into a semi-comfortable position; "Everything hurts...", Jennifer muttered.

"I bet it does, a whole night in those chairs..."

"Did you come just to lecture me about that?", she asked with a quiet, mocking undertone.

"No, I came to check up on you, and am of the opinion that you are in dire need of a cup of coffee."

A small, barely recognizable smile suddenly stole onto her lips. This suggestion, it came just in time, because she really needed a coffee very badly, but she didn't want to leave here, didn't want to leave him alone. So the coffee would have to wait a little longer.

"Not now, I can't leave."

"Jennifer, I know how worried you are and how much this whole situation is getting to you, but I'm asking you, for Jethro's sake, come with me. The team wants to talk to you about the latest developments, too."

Sighing softly, Jennifer ran a hand through her long hair, brushing individual strands behind her ears as she turned her eyes back to Gibbs. He seemed so relaxed, carefree, but at the same time so vulnerable and frail, as if he were simply sleeping, which he was, but only under different circumstances. She would so much like to talk to him, to look into his eyes and be far away from this nightmare. The sight brought tears to her eyes.

"We're supposed to be married now.", she croaked more hotly, swallowing the thick lump in her throat. "Happy and carefree..."

"I know, and you will be, I promise. But I want you now to come with me to the others, try to find some peace and listen to what they have to say."

"But..."

"No buts, come on now, the doctors have to make rounds now anyway."

This round came in handy just now, after all, this was a reason for both of them to leave the room and afterward she could always join him, but now she should leave here urgently. Besides, the pathologist knew that what the team would tell her was information of high priority and importance for Jennifer.

Silently, Jennifer Shepard stood in the small elevator of NCIS headquarters. Since leaving Bethesda with Ducky, she had hardly said a word, how could she? She was tired, felt physically as well as mentally drained, and was still looking for a way out of this nightmare. But what she was about to hear would open old wounds.

With the ping, the doors opened and both got out with slow steps. Countless pairs of eyes followed the red-haired Navy Minister every step of the way. Could she blame them? It was all over the news, everyone already knew it, but the looks of others just made it unbearable for her to gather her thoughts properly.

"Abby don't!", she could hear the voices of the MCRT agents, but by then it was too late.

The forensic agent had immediately pounced on the redhead, wrapped her tightly in her arms, and would never want to let her go. She was relieved on the one hand that at least nothing had happened to her, but didn't consider what she was actually doing right now. But this hug felt very right, after all, this hug was pending anyway – there was somehow no time for it yesterday.

"I'm sorry," Abigail murmured as she slowly pulled away from her.

"It's okay, Abby.", Jen replied quietly, giving her a small, unassuming smile.

"How's Gibbs doing?"

"Unchanged, the doctors were just coming in for rounds when we left.", Jennifer replied to McGee's question. "I'm going back to see him later."

"And you?"

"You found something?", she quickly changed the subject.

"Indeed.", Ellie confirmed the redhead's question and reached for the remote control for the plasma screen. "We looked at the security camera footage and spotted this man in almost every shot. Tony and McGee said you knew him."

A file photo of a man Jennifer Shepard thought had been long deceased, ten years to be exact, appeared on the large screen. But could this really be the case? She had personally seen his body, so how could this be possible? He was dead, she was one hundred percent sure of that, without a doubt! Her heart pounded faster and faster, and she felt petrified, unable to move.

"It can't be...", Jenny muttered, without taking her eyes off the screen.

"We've checked it several times, there's no chance of a mix-up."

Her green eyes looked to the senior agent, feeling her heart beating harder and harder against her chest. Blood rushed in her ears, and as she looked Tony in the eye, she knew it couldn't be a mix-up at all. But how was that possible? She herself had shot him on his boat, hadn't she?

"But that's not possible.", she repeated her words. "It can't be!"

Let me know what you think and leave some reviews :)