A/N: I am SO sorry that this update is so terribly late. Long story short, I've been dealing with quite a bit lately, and I've taken the steps necessary to fix it. Hopefully that will enable me to find time to update more consistently. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the next chapter!


Gibbs

Though he knew it was driving her absolutely insane, Jenny had been forced to stop playing her piano in the first few weeks following the case involving Sergeant Jonathan Henry while the cuts on her hands healed, and to say that she'd been in a foul mood ever since had been an understatement. He had to give her credit: she'd gone into work each day with her head held high, no sign of embarrassment in regards to the cuts and stitches that were clearly visible on her face, and he didn't think he could feel more proud of her if he'd tried.

With Christmas rapidly approaching, he'd spent the better part of his days thinking about how or even if he wanted to celebrate the holiday, what kind of gift to give Jenny, and how he was going to keep her from finding it before he was ready to present it to her. His first method had been to make a mental list of everything he knew about her and try to find something he knew she liked, but somehow he doubted that she really needed another pair of high heels. He'd then narrowed his options to the purely sentimental, though he knew she kept her emotions tightly under lock and key the vast majority of the time, and he found himself simply staring into space lost in thought more often than not.

The answer finally came to him late one night as he waited for her to finish her shower and as he noticed her walking down the hallway out of the corner of his eye, towel-drying her hair, he gave her a smile, preparing to put his plan into action. She returned his smile easily, wincing slightly at the pain in her hands, and when she joined him on the couch, he laughed quietly as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"How was your shower?"

"Not bad," she answered lightly, "Very wet, and the hot water burned like a bitch on my hands."

He nodded, gently combing his fingers through her damp hair, and as she closed her eyes at the sensation, he took a deep breath, preparing to ask his next question.

"Do you have a photo album?"

Jenny frowned, looking up at him in confusion, but she finally nodded, her damp hair sticking slightly to her cheek.

"Somewhere. Why?"

"Just curious. It just occurred to me that we don't have any pictures of the two of us together."

She laughed quietly, moving closer to his warmth in the cold air of the night, and she shook her head as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Getting sentimental in your old age, Leroy Jethro?"

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head once, and when he ran his finger softly over the stitches on her cheek, he frowned when she turned away, worried at first that he'd hurt her.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, but there was something in her posture that suggested otherwise, and when she stood suddenly, making her way silently down the hallway to her bedroom, he wondered how he could have messed this up so badly without even speaking a single word. It took him less than twenty seconds to make the decision to follow her, and when he found her curled up on the bed, he frowned.

"Jen?"

She said nothing at first, gave no indication that she'd even heard him (though he knew she had), and when he merely stood in the doorway, he heard her sigh softly.

"You know, typically when a person leaves a room, it usually means they want to be left alone."

"You've never been typical," he pointed out, earning himself a slightly bitter-sounding laugh.

"I suppose you're right," she conceded, still refusing to look at him.

He walked slowly from his position in the doorway, sitting down on the end of the bed, close enough to touch her and yet still keep his distance, giving her the opportunity to take the lead. She shifted away from him, seemingly desiring her own space, and when he said her name again, she finally raised her head to look at him, and the hurt expression in her green eyes was enough to make him flinch.

"What is it, Jen? What's wrong?"

"I don't want you to look at me differently," she answered slowly, "I mean, I know I've never been the most attractive person in the world, but now I look like the Bride of Frankenstein."

Gibbs couldn't help it: he laughed outright, staring at her as though she'd lost her mind, and when she glared at him, he laughed again.

"I'm glad you find this amusing," she muttered sarcastically.

"You couldn't be unattractive if you tried, Jen," he told her seriously, "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

She shook her head, still not convinced, and he moved closer, his eyes serious as they locked onto hers.

"Close your eyes," he said softly, "No distractions."

She did as he requested, flinching slightly when he pulled her into his arms, and as he ran his fingers through her long red hair, he smiled.

"Jennifer Lorraine Shepard," he whispered, running his fingertips gently over the stitches, "You are the most beautiful woman in the world, and nothing is ever going to change that. Do you understand me?"

Jenny was silent for a long moment, and when he tapped her knee with his hand, she opened her eyes, raising one perfect eyebrow in confusion.

"Do you understand me?" he asked again.

Finally, though he could tell she didn't truly believe him, she nodded, letting her head fall onto his chest. He reached for her hand, careful not to apply too much pressure, and gently kissed her fingertips, giving her a reassuring smile as he breathed in the vanilla perfume she wore.

"I love you," he whispered, his lips feather-light on her skin.

For the first time that night, a genuine smile lit up her face, and she ran her fingers through his hair, kissing him softly.

"I love you, too."


Downing the last of his bourbon, Gibbs ran his hand through his hair, placing his arm behind his head as he waited for Jenny to come home from work. He knew she'd been avoiding everyone in light of her recent attack and though he completely understood, he hoped that the night out she'd planned with Jack the following day would help her regain some of the confidence she'd once had. He smiled slightly to himself when he heard her quiet knock on the front door, standing up to answer it quickly.

He gave her a smile as soon as the door swung open, unable to hide his surprise when she immediately pushed him up against the wall, her still-bandaged hands slipping under his shirt. Her movements were rushed, almost desperate, and he frowned as she kissed him.

"Jen—"

She ignored him, still trying to push his shirt over his head, and though he wanted nothing more than to give her what she so obviously wanted, he shook his head, taking her wrists in his hands.

"Jen, wait. What's wrong?"

"Don't ask questions, just kiss me."

He met her eyes seriously, taking a step back, and held her hands by her side, shaking his head again.

"Jenny. What's going on?"

She shook her head and for the first time, he noticed the tears in her eyes, making him step away again.

"Jethro, please..."

"Talk to me, Shepard."

She sighed, stepping a bit closer, just enough to lay her head on his shoulder, and when she blinked, her tears dripped on her face, staining her skin.

"I had a meeting today," she began quietly, "and the entire time, everyone in the room was staring at me. At the scars. They didn't even try to hide it. I could feel their eyes on me, just following me."

He nodded, waiting for her to continue, and she moved closer, seeking comfort in his physical presence. Wrapping his arms around her, Gibbs kissed the top of her head, holding her as close as he could.

"I can't ignore this, Jethro," she whispered, "It follows me everywhere I go, it's written on my face, literally."

She held onto his shirt tightly, trying to focus on his arms around her, and when he tilted her head up, he gave her a smile.

"You are so beautiful, Jen...don't ever feel otherwise. The only thing that matters is what you think."

She nodded slowly, and he pulled her closer, kissing her slowly, and when he brushed her hair behind her ear, she smiled slightly.

"For the record, I still think you're the most beautiful woman in the world," he whispered.

He kissed her again, this time not stopping her when she deepened the kiss, and she pulled him closer, slipping her hands under his shirt again. The fabric was quickly tossed to the floor and he lifted her off her feet, carrying her into the bedroom, and when he laid her on the bed, she ran her fingers through his hair. She took great care not to put too much pressure onto her damaged hands, and as he slowly undid the buttons on her shirt, she whispered his name.

His fingers deftly slid the zipper down on her skirt, pulling it down her legs at a maddeningly slow pace, and she felt her legs begin to shake as his fingers trailed over her skin.

"Jethro..."

"Shh...close your eyes."

She nodded, doing as he asked, and as he moved his lips slowly along her inner thigh, she shivered involuntarily. His hands moved through her fiery hair like water, his lips trailing over her throat, taking great care not to touch the bandage on her collarbone, and when he moved his right hand back down her body, he could feel her shaking in anticipation. He kissed her long and slow, his tongue sweeping into every corner of her mouth, causing her to grip his hair tightly in her hand, and when he pulled her underwear down, letting it fall silently to the floor, her breath caught in her throat. His finger slid into her slowly, not wanting to hurt her, and she let a quiet moan fall from her lips.

Though he'd told her to close her eyes, the need to see him was too much, and Jenny's eyes slowly opened, emerald locking on sapphire as he ran his free hand through her hair. Their eye contact didn't last long however; once he twisted his fingers again, her eyes closed as she gasped his name breathlessly. He ran his tongue along the dip near her collarbone, tasting the salt on her skin, and his fingers left her so suddenly that she let out a sigh of protest as he kissed her.

He gave her no warning before he entered her after kicking off the rest of his clothing, taking great pleasure in the way his name tore from her throat in a low moan, and as he rolled his hips against hers, he pinned her hands above her head, refusing her the opportunity to touch him. She was just preparing to protest when his teeth grazed over her throat, his free hand reaching up to touch her breasts, and the delicious torture drove all rational thoughts from her mind.

"Fuck..." she whispered through gritted teeth, her head falling back onto the pillow.

Gibbs smirked to himself as he moved faster, knowing she was close just by the way her body had tensed, and as she strained against his hold, she opened her eyes to glare at him.

"Let me touch you."

He said nothing, shifting his body slightly to change the angle, and she gasped, still trying to break free of his hold.

"Please, Jethro," she said quietly, "Let me touch you."

He met her eyes slowly and the darkened irises made him finally nod slightly, and he released her hands, fighting the urge to smile as she immediately pulled him closer. Her hands slipped on his sweat-slicked skin, her nails trailing over his chest, and when she kissed him, it was harder than she'd kissed him in days, her need palpable.

This gave him pause, made him remember the way she'd been so desperate on the anniversary of her sister's death, and when he looked into her eyes as they broke apart, he thought he could still detect a sheen of pain in them. His hips met hers again, almost enough to finish him then and there, and he tilted her head so that she had no choice but to look at him, and he brushed her hair slowly back from her face.

"I love you, Jen."

She gave him a smile, kissing him again, and as he moved his hips again, her grip on his shoulder tightened, a few choice words falling from her lips as she fell over the edge. When she'd finally managed to regulate her breathing again, Jenny raised her eyes to his, kissing him hard as his own release washed over him.

"I love you, too."


Hours later, Jenny's phone ringing shattered the easy silence in the bedroom and she sighed, carefully marking her place in the book she'd been reading. Picking up the offending device slowly, she pretended not to notice the way Gibbs rolled his eyes jokingly, and as she held it to her ear, she settled back against his chest.

"Shepard."

Gibbs paid little attention to her side of the conversation, opting instead to run his fingers slowly up and down her arm, earning him a soft smile as she moved closer to his warmth. Though he knew he was the living embodiment of a cliché, their time spent in bed had drained him of his energy, and as he listened to her soft voice on the phone, he found it more and more difficult to stay awake. Against his will, his eyes slipped closed, and it was the scent of Jenny's vanilla perfume that carried him off to his dreams.

It was only when Jenny turned off the light that he moved again, just long enough to pull her body closer against his own, and as he placed a gentle kiss to the base of her throat, he heard her laugh quietly.

"Goodnight, Jethro," she whispered.

"Love you, Jen," he murmured, his lips warm against her skin.

All in all, it was a great way to end the night, if he did say so himself.


Shepard

Though she had readily agreed to spend time with Jack after work that night, Jenny couldn't deny that she really just wanted to go home. Real or imagined, she could feel the eyes of everyone in the bar focusing on the scars on her face, despite Jack's assurances that no one was paying them any attention, and as he took a long drink from his glass, he looked at her seriously.

"Hey, Jenny?"

He waited until he was sure he had her attention before speaking again, and took a deep breath.

"If I tell you something, do you promise not to be mad at me?"

She nodded, reaching for the drink in front of her slowly, and as she took a slow drink, Jack met her eyes.

"Jenny, I—I think I might be gay."

He spoke so quietly that at first she was sure she'd misheard him, but one look at his face told her that she hadn't. She nodded once, giving him a smile, and raised her drink again.

"Okay. You don't have to worry about me judging you, Jack. It doesn't make me any less your friend."

"That—that's not all, Jenny. I...kind of...really like Jethro."

Jenny's shock was so strong that her sharp intake of breath caused her to choke on her drink, coughing harshly as she struggled to form a coherent sentence.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, concerned.

She nodded, taking a long shuddering breath as soon as she was able, and fixed him with an incredulous look.

"Jethro? My Jethro?"

He said nothing, meeting her eyes over her glass, and she shook her head slowly.

"I'm sure he'd be flattered to hear it, but...Jack, he isn't gay."

"I know that, Jenny," Jack said exasperatedly, "I mean, he's with you. And look at you. Girl, you're on fire. I'm not saying all of this to make you feel any certain way, I just—I needed to be honest with you. Please don't hate me."

Jenny's eyes softened as she looked at him and she shook her head, reaching for his hand.

"I could never hate you, Jack. I appreciate that you were honest with me, Seriously, that means a lot."

The look of relief on Jack's face was so strong that Jenny could almost physically touch it. She gave him a warm smile as she picked up her glass again, and as soon as she had emptied it, he stood up, holding out his hand.

"Dance with me, Jenny."

Her eyes widened at the thought of being watched by everyone in the bar and she automatically shook her head.

"No, Jack. I—I can't."

Refusing to take "no" for an answer, Jack didn't move, his hand still held out to her, and when she shook her head again, he frowned.

"Didn't peg you for being scared, Jenny."

Jenny rolled her eyes.

"It's not that. I don't want everyone to stare at me, and I—"

Jack interrupted her with a laugh, shaking his head.

"If anyone is staring at you, it's because you look amazing. Come on, Jenny. Don't make me look like an idiot dancing by myself."

Realising that there was no way he was going to let her out of this, Jenny finally nodded, allowing him to pull her to her feet, and as he spun her around the room, she couldn't stop the smile that came over her face. When she finally sat back down at their table fifteen minutes later, Jenny realised, for the first time in quite a long time, her laughter hadn't been forced.


The soft knock on her office door made Jenny glance up from her email, and as she removed her reading glasses, she painted a carefully crafted smile on her face. When the large silver door opened less than a minute later, revealing the Scottish doctor, she gave him a warm smile, nodding at him slowly.

"Ducky. To what do I owe this rare pleasure?"

"I was merely stopping by to see how you were, my dear. I haven't seen you in a few days, and I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Jenny smiled at his touching words, but even she could tell that it didn't reach her eyes, and as he took a seat across from her desk, he frowned.

"How have you been doing in regards to the purging?"

Taking a deep breath, Jenny shook her head, her eyes sad as she looked at him.

"I...I haven't done it since you told me about...the tear, but..."

She trailed off, unsure of how to word what she wanted to say, and he looked at her seriously, his eyes locking onto hers.

"Go on," he prompted gently.

"It's...God, Ducky, it's been so hard. It's all I think about most days. I can't focus on anything else. I want to...so much."

Ducky nodded, reaching across the desk to take her hand in his own, and he ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

"I know, Jennifer. But you've done so well, made amazing progress, and to throw it all away now would be incredibly dangerous. You could rupture your esophagus and that would be an extremely painful way to die."

Jenny's eyes filled with tears and when he noticed this, Ducky nodded at her again, urging her to speak. When she finally opened her mouth, her words came out in little more than a whisper, making his heart break more than he'd thought was possible.

"Is it bad that I don't even care?"


Gibbs

With the exception of his newborn daughter, Leroy Jethro Gibbs didn't think he'd ever carried something so carefully in all of his life, and as he placed the package under his arm in the passenger seat of his truck, he breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been so worried that he would drop it, somehow ruin the delicate gift, and when he placed the truck in gear, he hoped that this would be yet another day that Jenny would decide to work late. He glanced at the package every so often as he drove, taking great care not to let it slide, and once he had finally pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex, he frowned.

Jenny's car was in the lot, not that this was anything terribly new now that she had a driver, but somehow he just knew she was there. Thankfully, he made it to his own apartment without running into her, and as he carefully hid the gift in a place he was sure she would never find it, he smiled slightly to himself. He could hear her moving around her apartment as he returned to his living room and as he sat down on his couch, he poured himself a generous amount of bourbon. He briefly considered going to Jenny's but when he heard a string of swear words fall from her lips, he ultimately decided against it. She clearly needed time to herself.

As he sipped his drink, he found his thoughts drifting to the upcoming holiday, and he frowned as he realised, for the first time since he'd lost Shannon and Kelly, he was actually looking forward to it. He knew that this was because of Jenny, knew he would never be able to repay her for the way she'd turned his life around, and he smiled slightly as he thought of the gift he'd hidden deep in the back of his hallway closet. It had cost him a pretty penny, but still somehow he doubted it had been enough. There was no way he could place monetary value on everything she'd done for him, but he'd be damned if he wouldn't spend the rest of his life trying


It was just after 02:30 when he was awoken by several loud knocks, and when he opened his eyes, Gibbs was wildly disoriented for a moment. It took him several seconds to realise that the sound had come from Jenny's door rather than his, and when he sat up slowly, he blinked hard.

"You'd better have a damn good reason for knocking on my door before the sun is up, Agent DiNozzo."

Gibbs shook his head in an attempt to clear some of the fogginess currently overtaking his mind, and as he heard the team leader answer, he yawned.

"Someone broke into the building tonight," DiNozzo answered, "All of the files we had on all of our cases are gone. Did a number on your office, too."

"You'd better be fucking joking," came Jenny's quiet response.

"I wish I were, Shep. It looks like an inside job. No sign of forced entry, except to your office. McGee is going over the security footage now, but I thought you deserved to know what you'll be walking into."

"Thank you," she said, her voice betraying her exhaustion, "Give me about five minutes, and we can go assess the damage."

There was a moment of silence and just when he thought the conversation was over, Gibbs heard DiNozzo's voice call out from where he still stood in the doorway.

"Nice PJ's, Red. That one of Gibbs' shirts?"

"Don't try me, Tony. I will not hesitate to shoot you."

Gibbs laughed quietly to himself as he listened to her door close, settling back in a more comfortable position on his couch. Damn, he loved that woman...


Shepard

Even if she'd tried, Jenny didn't think she could find the words to describe the damage that had been done to her office. Papers and empty file folders littered nearly every inch of the small room, the drawers of her desk had been left open, almost entirely cleaned out, and when Jenny walked around to her desk, she swore softly. The picture she'd always kept on her desk of herself, her mother, Heather, and her father had been torn in half, and she felt her eyes fill with angry tears as she picked up the pieces.

She carefully picked her way across the room, her bright green eyes scanning every inch, and as she made her way closer to the window, she stopped suddenly. A tiny bloodstain was visible on the light carpet, and as she reached for the phone on her desk, she shook her head slowly.

"DiNozzo."

"Can you bring an evidence jar up to my office? Think I may have blood here."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jenny sighed, rolling her eyes.

"What have I told you about that?"

"Right. Sorry, Jenny."

As she waited for the team leader to arrive, Jenny placed her head in her hands, wishing desperately for a cup of coffee. She'd always used coffee as her comfort drink, the hotter the better, and she would have gladly welcomed a cup from even the shadiest of diners at that moment. The quiet knock on her door signaled DiNozzo's arrival, and after granting him entrance, she blinked hard. He gave her a cautious smile as he made his way closer, and when she reached for the jar in his hand, he frowned.

Kneeling down, Jenny carefully pulled up the stained fibers of the carpet, dropping them neatly into the jar, and it was only after she'd screwed the lid shut that she noticed the confused look on the young agent's face.

"Something wrong, DiNozzo?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

She frowned, unsure of what he meant, and he nodded once before continuing.

"You're shaking. Everything okay?"

She nodded, handing him the evidence jar once more.

"I'm fine. Just haven't had any coffee, and I've only gotten about two hours of sleep."

"Thought you'd slow down a bit once you got promoted, Red."

Jenny laughed softly, shaking her head.

"How long have we known each other, Tony?"

"Fair enough," he conceded, "Anyway, I'll get this to Abby and let you know as soon as I have an answer."

"Thank you."

Though he would rather die than admit it, Tony DiNozzo was more than a little worried about his former partner as he closed her office door behind him.


Downing the last dregs of coffee from her cup, Jenny Shepard blinked long and hard as she dropped it into her trash bin, not even realising that it was nearly overflowing. They'd gotten no leads on the office break in, much to her chagrin, and the MCRT was slowing beginning the process of replacing all of the physical copies of their case files from the digital ones they currently had. She knew she was likely being paranoid, but Jenny much preferred to have both physical and electronic copies of anything she possessed, because in her mind, it made things easier should something become lost (or in this case, stolen).

She hardly glanced up when Cynthia knocked lightly on her door, merely nodding when the young woman asked her if she'd like another cup of coffee, and when she returned moments later, she gave her a quiet thanks. Jenny, along with the members of the MCRT had been working tirelessly in the days following the break in to find any sort of lead that would give them any sort of clue as to who had been behind it, and though they'd not yet uncovered anything, they diligently kept searching.

It took the redhead nearly a full minute to realise that the low vibration she'd been hearing was coming from her phone, and when she reached for the device, she shook her head to clear some of the tiredness she felt. It did little to help, but she figured it was better than nothing.

"Shepard."

"Hey. Long time, no see."

She smiled tiredly, leaning her head on her free hand, and sighed.

"I know. I've been busy."

"I noticed. I heard DiNozzo wake you up the other night."

Jenny nodded, reaching for her coffee.

"Yeah, I've been here ever since. Someone broke into the building. But I guess you heard that part, too."

Gibbs laughed, making her smile, and she realised she'd missed him more than she'd thought.

"Yeah. Hang on. Are you saying you've been at work since he came by? Jen, that was three days ago."

"I know," she answered tiredly, "I've been trying to figure out who would have broken into my office and why. They even destroyed one of my pictures on my desk. It was a complete mess."

"Has everyone else been there with you?"

"No," Jenny took another long drink from her coffee, "I made them go home, take some time to rest."

"And you stayed because...?"

"I have to figure this out, Jethro. This wasn't just some random break in. This was someone on the inside. I have to know who did this and why they did it. I can't let them get away with it."

He sighed and Jenny knew he was already trying to think of \the best way he could convince her to leave the office. Hoping to preempt him, Jenny took a breath, hoping she wasn't making a huge mistake.

"I'll be home tonight, Jethro. I promise."

"Holding you to that, Jen. Be safe. I'll let you go. Love you."

She smiled.

"Love you, too."

Hanging up slowly, Jenny ran her hand through slightly tangled hair, turning to face her window as she felt the sun begin to stream through the glass. Three sunrises in as many days...God, she needed a break.


Jenny had been staring in silent horror at the water in the porcelain bowl for what seemed like an eternity when the sound of approaching footsteps made her finally snap to attention. Though there had been nothing in her stomach save for the remnants of the copious amount of coffee she'd consumed over the last three days and nights, the need to purge had been so overwhelming that she hadn't been able to stand it. She didn't even really remember doing it, merely functioning on autopilot, and as she quickly flushed away the evidence, she realised how badly she was shaking.

What was wrong with her? She'd done so well for so long, how could she just throw it all away? Carefully washing her hands, Jenny finally removed the last of the bandages on her skin, flinching slightly at the shiny scars on her hands. They weren't something easily seen unless one paid close attention to detail, but the raised white skin still made her uncomfortable, especially when combined with the more obvious scars on her face.

Quickly tossing the paper towel into the bin, Jenny made her way to the door, hoping that she hadn't been missed for too terribly long. She thankfully made it back to her office without incident, and almost as soon as she walked into the small space, she felt a new wave of exhaustion sweep over her. Shaking her head slowly, Jenny took several deep breaths in an attempt to steady herself, and when she finally opened her eyes again, she sighed. Maybe Gibbs was right. Maybe she did need to go home and sleep. After all, they would call her if something disastrous happened. They always did.


Gibbs

The moment he heard Jenny's heels in the hallway, Gibbs poured a cup of coffee, quickly making his way out of his own apartment. She gave him a tired smile as he walked closer, and when she noticed the mug in his outstretched hand, she raised her eyebrow in question. He nodded in answer, giving her a kiss on the cheek as she took it from him, and when she closed her eyes to inhale the rich aroma, she smiled.

"A man after my own heart. You brought coffee and a kiss? Is this a form of bribery? Did you murder someone?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes, letting them roam over her slightly unkempt appearance, and frowned.

"Nope. Believe it or not, I am capable of being a nice person."

"I always knew you were," Jenny said with a laugh.

As she carefully unlocked her door, Jenny frowned, looking at him seriously, and he tilted his head slightly in confusion, wondering what would have caused her to look so concerned.

"Jethro, what day is it?"

"December 1st. Why?"

"Shit," she muttered, "I have so much work to do."

She made her way into the apartment, turning on the light quickly, and as soon as the door had closed behind her, she made her way to the small storage closet in the hall by the door. He frowned as he watched her pull box after box from the tiny space, and as she began sorting through them, he noticed she'd placed her coffee mug on the ground near the front door. Picking it up carefully, he set it on the coffee table, still beyond confused.

"Um...Jen? What are you doing?"

"It's December 1st," she answered, as if that explained everything, "I have to decorate for Christmas."

"Still got 25 days until then," he reminded her with a laugh.

Jenny shook her head, and it was then that he noticed the look in her eyes, one he'd only seen a few times before, causing him to frown.

"You're exhausted," he tried again, "Why don't you take a shower, change into some warm clothes, and get some sleep? This can wait until another day."

Again, her head shook, and she pulled out the large artificial tree from her closet, opening the box almost frantically.

"You don't understand. I always decorate on the first of December. Always. It's a tradition. Heather, Mom and I used to do it every year. I can't let them down."

Gibbs took a step closer, placing his hand over hers, effectively stopping her movements.

"You're not letting them down," he said gently, "I know they would never blame you if you wanted to relax and take time for yourself."

Jenny pulled away from his touch, her eyes bright with an emotion that he couldn't quite name but didn't care for in the least, and shook her head again.

"You don't understand. I have to—Jethro, I have to do this. Just—please. Are you going to help me, or not?"

Sensing that there was no way she was going to let this one go, Gibbs nodded and reached to help her begin assembling the tree. As she pulled out the boxes of glass ornaments, she gave him a grateful smile that made him realise he'd never really had any other option. Not really.


Hours later, as he sat on Jenny's couch, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and his arm wrapped around her, Gibbs placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. Jenny raised her head from its position on his shoulder, her eyes illuminated by the soft multi-coloured lights on her Christmas tree, and when she kissed him, he could taste the remnants of her peppermint-flavoured lip balm. He knew she'd been close to breaking down earlier at the thought of not being able to complete her time-honoured of decorating for the holiday, and he was thankful that he'd been able to help, however slightly.

"Jethro?"

"Hm?"

"I know you didn't have to do this tonight, so...thank you."

He smiled, running his fingers slowly up and down her arm.

"You're right: I didn't have to. I wanted to. And you're welcome."

Jenny smiled, kissing him again, lingering a bit longer than was strictly necessary.

"I do believe you've earned yourself a reward, Leroy Jethro."

He raised his eyebrow in question, and Jenny reached over to take his nearly-empty coffee mug from his hand, running her other hand slowly over his leg.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?"

Gibbs shook his head, inhaling the sweet scent of vanilla from her hair as she moved to straddle his waist.

"Good," she whispered, "because I'm going to make damn sure that you're awake until the sun comes up in the morning."

"You need to sleep," he reminded her gently.

"I will," Jenny assured him, trailing her lips slowly over his throat, "but I need to make sure that I'm appropriately exhausted when I do."

As she moved from the couch to pull him into the bedroom, Gibbs laughed quietly to himself, wondering how on earth he'd gotten here...only to realise seconds later that he didn't really give a damn.


A/N: Hmm...what does Gibbs have planned for Jenny's Christmas gift?