A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and that everything in your life is going amazingly in the new year! Here we have the next installment of The Other Side of the Wall, in which Jenny deals with her health issues, Gibbs loses his temper, and Carly and Evan come to dinner. I hope you enjoy and thank you so much for sticking with me for this long! I love you all!
Shepard
Though she would have denied it to anyone who had asked, Jenny was secretly glad that work had been so incredibly busy. It gave her a very convenient excuse to avoid thinking about any aspects of her personal life that she would have rather ignored and at the moment, there were a fair few. She missed Carly like mad, the house eerily quiet without her bright presence, she was struggling to find an appropriate outlet for the stress that seemed to follow her wherever she went, and she was beginning to have more bad days than good when it came to her health.
She knew Gibbs was starting to worry, she could see it in his eyes every time he looked her way during dinner, but she simply didn't have it in her to lie to him. Not when he would figure it out regardless of whether she tried to hide it or not. Each day was becoming more difficult than the one before it and no matter how much she tried to ignore it, the signs were now glaringly obvious. How was she supposed to keep—
"Jenny."
She jumped slightly, startled, and realised for the first time that Gibbs had spoken. From the look on his face, it was apparent that he had been trying to get her attention for quite some time and she tried to keep her voice light but steady as she spoke.
"Yes?"
"I asked you what you wanted for dinner."
Jenny couldn't control the panic that flared up within her chest at his question, but she smiled regardless, hoping that he wasn't paying close enough attention to notice.
"Whatever you want is fine."
Gibbs frowned, shaking his head. He said nothing, but she could sense the change in his demeanour almost instantly. His eyes narrowed at her as she reached for the bottle of water on the table next to the couch, though she did her best to pretend as though it hadn't affected her.
"Chinese?" he asked.
She knew he was baiting her, knew he was waiting for her to admit that something was wrong, but she was determined not to give him the satisfaction.
"Sure," she shrugged, taking a long drink.
"Jen," he sighed, reaching for his bourbon.
"What?"
"Why are you doing this?"
She frowned, feigning ignorance.
"I'm not doing anything. You asked, I answered."
Gibbs merely glared at her, his anger apparent, and when she stood up to make her way to the stairs, she pretended that she didn't feel his eyes following her every move. She could do this. She could.
Before she had even comprehended that it had happened, Jenny shoved her fingers to the back of her throat, closing her eyes against the pain as she coughed. Over and over again, her pale fingers made the journey, tears spilling from behind her eyelids as she emptied the contents of her stomach, and when she had finished, she took a slow breath to steady herself. She spared only the briefest of glances into the water, flushing away the evidence before she could stop herself, and as she washed her hands, she tried to convince herself that she wasn't worried about the blood staining them.
Quickly drying her hands on a towel, Jenny pulled her hair free from the clip she'd placed it in, framing it around her face to hide the slight swelling, and as she gave her reflection a once-over in the mirror, she tried out several variations of a carefree smile. Each one looked more fake than the last and she swore quietly to herself as she leaned forward on the sink.
How had her life gotten turned so drastically upside down?
The low vibration of her phone startled her out of her intense scrutiny and she pulled it from her pocket slowly, frowning when she saw the name displayed on the screen.
"Shepard."
"Hey, Jenny, do you have a minute to talk?"
She opened the bathroom door, making her way slowly to the bed and when she sat down on the mattress, she winced. Every part of her body was on fire and she fought to keep her voice steady as she answered.
"Sure, DiNozzo. How may I be of service?"
"I..." he sighed, taking a breath before continuing, "I don't know if I'm ready to be the team leader. I've been thinking about what happened to Gibbs' team a lot over the past week and I think it would be better if I stepped down."
"DiNozzo, what happened to Gibbs' team—"
"Could happen to mine. I can't handle the thought of being responsible for the death of McGee. Or even Ziva."
"What do you suggest I do, Tony?" Jenny asked, her exhaustion creeping into her voice no matter how hard she tried to fight it.
"Offer my place to Gibbs. You and I both know that Harrington is never going to be a field agent again. That bullet caused too much damage."
It was true, as much as she hated to admit it. They'd gotten word from Harrington's doctor a few days after the incident and it was highly unlikely that he would ever be suited for the physical demands of field work again.
"Are you absolutely sure that this is what you want, Tony? If I offer the job to Gibbs and he accepts it, you can't decide later that you don't want to follow someone else's orders. And Gibbs can be a bit of a bastard to work with."
For the first time, Jenny heard the hint of amusement in DiNozzo's voice as he spoke.
"I worked with you for five years, Red. Can't be much worse than that."
Jenny laughed quietly.
"Get back with me after a few weeks."
"So you'll do it?"
She sighed, running her hand through her hair.
"If you're entirely sure, then yes."
"Thanks, Shep. You're the best, you know that?"
"I've been told. Have a good night, DiNozzo."
She hung up, placing her phone on the bedside table, a million thoughts spinning around in her head, and when she stood up, she winced at the pain in her upper legs. This was getting to be downright infuriating. It took her longer than usual to make it down the steps into the basement, and when Gibbs looked up at her, he frowned at the expression on her face.
"What's wrong?"
She sighed, shaking her head, hoping that she could convince him that she was fine.
"Just hurts to walk."
He watched her as she slid carefully on the stool next to his table and when she spoke again, her tone was softer than she'd expected.
"DiNozzo is stepping down as team leader."
"What?"
She nodded, knowing that he hadn't really needed her to repeat herself, and met his eyes slowly.
"The job is yours if you want it. You don't exactly have a team currently, but if you would rather hire—"
He cut her off with a shake of his head, moving closer and placing his sander down on the table.
"I'd rather work with them. They've been good, reliable agents for years and I would be honoured to be part of their team."
"You'd be leading them," she reminded him.
He nodded.
"Yeah, but if they give me any trouble, I can always threaten them with a certain redheaded Director."
She laughed.
"True."
His bright blue eyes met her emerald green in the dim light, searching their depths (for what, she didn't know) and he ran his hand through her hair slowly.
"You sure you're okay?"
She nodded.
"Definitely. But I'd be better if a certain former marine would come up to bed with me."
Gibbs smiled.
"I might be able to help with that."
"I had a feeling."
She hopped down from her place on the stool, laughing softly when Gibbs immediately swept her into his arms, giving him a puzzled look.
"What are you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious? Making sure you save all your strength."
"Hmm.." she said coyly, "and what, pray tell, would I need such reserves of strength for?"
If it were possible to be burned by just a glance, Jenny was certain that the fire in his eyes would have scorched her entire soul as he began walking carefully up the stairs. He placed her on the mattress with a gentleness that she hadn't expected, and when he reached out to turn off the light, she shook her head slowly.
"Leave it."
She ran her fingers lightly through his hair, lingering longer than was strictly necessary, and when his lips met hers in a long kiss, she smiled.
"I've missed this," she whispered.
He nodded.
"So have I."
His fingers trailed along her skin, leaving a blazing fire in their wake, and when he slipped his hand underneath the hem of her thin shirt, her eyes closed of their own accord. She'd forgotten just how much she loved his hands. His calloused touch was rough yet gentle at the same time, always careful never to hurt her, and when he pulled the shirt over her head, he gave her a smile.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"
"Hm..." she pretended to think, running her hands over his chest, "Remind me."
"Oh, I fully intend to," he smirked.
He unhooked her bra, tossing it to the floor, letting his mouth move slowly down her collarbone, his tongue drawing light patterns over her skin. Jenny moved her fingers to the hem of his shirt, desperate to touch his skin, and she pulled it away from his body just as his lips closed around her breast, making her head fall forward onto his shoulder. She whispered his name, moving her shaking hands to his arm, letting her nails rake over his slightly damp skin.
Gibbs quickly kicked his jeans and boxers to the ground, pulling her jeans with them, but he left her underwear, moving his body so that he had easy access to her inner thighs. His placed feather-light kisses all along her legs, his lips dangerously close to where she desperately wanted him, and when he took the thin satin fabric of her underwear between his teeth, she felt her breath catch.
Slow, agonisingly slowly, he pulled the fabric down the smooth expanse of her legs, tossing them deftly over his shoulder when he'd finished, and when he positioned his body over hers, he kissed her deeply, his tongue finding every corner of her mouth. His fingers finally moved past her thighs, slipping into her so slowly that she couldn't stop the low moan that fell from her lips, and as he began to move them, she struggled to remember how to breathe.
"Jethro..."
He pulled her bottom lip between his teeth, biting down gently, and she fought against the urge to demand that he move faster. She knew he was moving slowly to prolong the time they were spending together and while she appreciated the sentiment, she was so on edge that she could hardly stand it. If he didn't stop touching her like that, she wouldn't last long at all.
It seemed as though he had reached the same conclusion, but instead of stopping, he was apparently determined to make her come more than once this time. He circled his thumb over her clit, applying more pressure, twisting his index and middle fingers inside in a way that hit perfectly, and she could detect the barest hint of a smile on his face when she gripped his shoulder tighter. As hard as she tried, she couldn't stop the heat that was building within her body, and when she stiffened in his arms a few minutes later, he kissed her hair lightly.
"I've missed that."
"What?" she asked, her voice slightly breathless.
"Seeing you let go so completely."
He gave her a few seconds to catch her breath and when he entered her, she was still so on edge that her body jerked beneath his. He moved slowly, taking the time to run his fingers over the entirety of her body, pausing to roll her nipples between them, and when she brought her lips to his throat, she bit down hard enough to deliberately leave a mark. She wanted there to be no doubt in anyone's mind that he was hers and no one else's.
Her hips met his every thrust, her fingers tight on his shoulder and in his hair, and when she could tell he was close to the edge, she ran her fingertips over his face lightly.
"Kiss me, Jethro."
He did as she asked, reaching for her hand just as he reached his climax, and when she felt her own orgasm ripple through her body, she couldn't stop the soft cry that tore from her throat. His shaky breath was warm on her shoulder and when she finally pulled back enough to see his face, she gave him a small smile.
"I love you."
"I love you more, Jen."
"If you say so, Leroy Jethro," she laughed.
Gibbs
As he held Jenny in his arms late that night, Gibbs found himself thinking about his upcoming change in the workplace and couldn't stop from wondering if he'd made the right decision in accepting Jenny's offer. Would DiNozzo respect his authority given that he had once been in charge? To say nothing of the fact that he was in a relationship with their boss. He didn't think DiNozzo would hold it against him, but experience had taught him that people (and their emotions) were often more than a little unpredictable. In truth, he had no idea how well they would work together, but he was determined not to let it get under his skin.
A slight shifting on his chest pulled him from his thoughts, bringing his attention back to Jenny, and he smiled as her fingers curled around the shirt he was wearing. It had been nice to spend the evening with her, holding her in a way that hadn't happened in—wait. He frowned as his eyes landed on the small red marks on the back of her hand, barely visible in the dim light, but he would have recognised them anywhere.
His quiet contemplation was replaced by anger in an instant and he reached out to wake her, not even truly aware he had done so until her eyes fluttered open.
"Hmm?"
"Jen, wake up."
She blinked slowly, trying to orient herself, and she sat up carefully, giving him a sleepy glare.
"Something wrong?"
"You tell me," he said quietly.
Jenny frowned, unsure of what he meant, and he reached out to grab her hand, holding it up in front of her eyes. He could tell that her still-groggy mind was struggling to understand what he expected her to see, but he was too angry to cut her any kind of real slack.
"Those marks weren't on your hand yesterday."
He saw the realisation dawning in her eyes and when she attempted to pull away from his grasp, he tightened his grip, unwilling to let her lie her way out of it this time.
"Why, Jen? You'd been doing so well. You were so close to four months clean."
"Jethro, I—I didn't mean to d—"
"You didn't mean to?" he repeated, not caring in his anger that she flinched at his tone, "What, then, did someone hold you down and force you to stick your fingers down your throat? That's bullshit and you know it!"
"You didn't let me finish talking," she spat, jerking her arm free from his grasp, "I was going to say that it wasn't like I woke up today and thought 'You know what, today is a great day to purge!' It isn't that simple and if you would actually try to listen, you would understand that!"
"Four months, Jenny! You were so damn close and you just threw it all away in less than a minute!"
"You think I don't fucking know that? Jesus fucking Christ! I'm not stupid! I know I fucked up! It happens. It doesn't mean that it was a complete failure. Setbacks happen and especially within the first year."
She stood suddenly, pulling on her clothing from earlier in the day, throwing him a glare as she reached the door.
"Be careful, Jethro. You might experience vertigo from the dizzying heights of your moral ground."
Before he had time to do more than say her name, Jenny had stormed from the room, her footsteps loud on the stairs, and it wasn't until he heard the front door slam shut that he even dared to take a breath. He bolted from the room, not even bothering to put shoes on, and when he threw open the front door, he was momentarily blinded by the headlights of Jenny's car. He ran down the porch steps, hoping to reach her before it was too late, but she threw the car in gear and had disappeared from the driveway in less than a minute. He swore as he watched her taillights grow faint and when he turned around to walk back into the house, he slapped himself on the back of his head.
What the hell had just happened?
Two long hours had passed before Gibbs finally accepted that she wasn't going to come back any time soon and though he knew it was useless, he slowly walked back up the stairs in search of his phone. Maybe if she knew he regretted his actions, she would give him a chance to explain. He hadn't meant to lose his temper, but his worry had a way of manifesting itself as anger, Not that this excused his behaviour in any way, but he hoped that she would be able to understand that he only wanted her to be safe and happy.
Picking up his phone, he quickly called her, not surprised when it rang endlessly before going to her voicemail, and when he hung up, he noticed that it was on the table next to her side of the bed. Now his worry was nearing full-blown panic because she had no way of calling anyone for help if she'd had an accident on the road. He happened to glance down at the display screen of her phone as he picked it up, smiling faintly at the picture of himself and Carly currently being used as her wallpaper, and when he noticed the date, his eyes widened.
Suddenly it all made sense, her purging, the strange, haunted look in her eyes over the past few days, and he swore loudly. He grabbed both of their phones before making his way down the stairs as quickly as he could, nearly falling down them in his haste, and he slid his shoes over his bare feet as he grabbed his keys. He knew, though he couldn't have told anyone how he was certain, exactly where Jenny had gone and as he drove through the dark streets, he hoped that his gut wasn't wrong this time.
He pulled into the cemetery less than ten minutes later and sure enough, Jenny's sleek little black car was there and as he put his truck in park, he tried to gather his thoughts. The night was unseasonably cool, and he shivered in the slight breeze. Saying nothing, he knelt down next to Jenny, holding out her phone as a sort of peace offering, not having the slightest idea of what he would do if she ignored it.
For a long moment, he was sure that his worst fears had been realised, but she slowly reached out to take the phone from his hand, her thin fingers brushing over his skin as she pulled it free.
"Fancy meeting you here where the spirit meets the bones in a faith-forgotten land," she said softly.
Her words brought a small smile to his face, but he was still too uncertain of where they stood to relax fully. He needed her to know that he understood her reasoning even if he didn't understand the actions himself. He only hoped he could find the right words.
"I didn't realise what day it was," he said, his voice low, "I should have remembered."
Jenny shook her head, her red hair a stark contrast to the night surrounding them.
"It's not your responsibility to remember my triggers, Jethro. I just...I miss her so much. I can't believe it's been a year already. How could so much have happened in just one year?"
"It wasn't all bad, Jen. We have Carly now, she's in recovery, starting her life as an independent adult...If you think about it, it's pretty amazing that we've come so far in so little time."
"A year...it seems so long and yet like it was just yesterday. There are so many times that I find myself reaching for the phone to call her and tell her something. Or my phone will ring, and I'll think for a moment that it's the nurses calling. There's so much I wish she could see. It still hurts just as much now as it did then."
He nodded, slowly reaching out to wrap his arm around her.
"I know," he whispered, kissing her hair, "and that's okay. Grief doesn't have a time frame, Jen. Your mom knows how much you loved her, and she would be so proud of everything you've done. You're an incredible woman, but you don't always have to be the strong one. Even you're allowed to break down sometimes. You can let other people take care of you every now and then."
She laid her head on his shoulder, wiping away the tears that had fallen in spite of her best efforts, and sighed.
"I know, but...I feel so pathetic. I don't know how to ask for help and really, I shouldn't still be grieving like this. I should have moved on at least a little. I'm thirty-three, I shouldn't be crying like a little kid who wants their mommy."
She paused, taking a deep breath, and he could hear the tears in her voice when she spoke again.
"But I do, Jethro...I want my mommy so much."
He ran his hand slowly over her hair, kissing it softly, and allowed her the space to cry into his shirt, not even caring that the fabric would get wet.
"Shh...I know. It's okay. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, Jen: I'm forty-five and I still miss my mom. Age doesn't mean a damn thing when it comes to grief. If I could hug my mom one last time and tell her how much I love her, I would jump at that chance."
Jenny was silent for a moment, wiping away her tears as she processed his words, and finally nodded, raising up to meet his eyes.
"I should have told you about it instead of...you know, dealing with shit the way I always do."
He nodded, looking at her seriously.
"Maybe, but I shouldn't have gotten so angry at you. I know that it's an illness. I know you're not trying to hurt me intentionally."
Standing up carefully on the slightly uneven ground, Gibbs held out his hand, giving Jenny a warm smile. She accepted it with one of her own, leaning down to gently kiss the headstone of her mother's grave and as he led her back to her car, he kissed her cheek.
"You okay to drive home?"
She nodded.
"I'll be fine."
"Be safe."
"Always," she answered, giving him a smile.
By the time they both arrived home, the sun was beginning to rise, and Gibbs poured himself a cup of coffee as Jenny closed the front door, frowning as he argued with himself on whether or not he really felt like going in to work that morning. He knew Jenny would go regardless and as she made her way up the stairs he sighed, deciding that it would just be better to go in. No sense in incurring the wrath of a certain redhead when she was angry.
He offered her a cup of coffee as soon as she returned, dressed and ready to go and as he walked up to put on his own work clothes, he noticed the slightly sad expression still lingering in her normally bright green eyes.
"Jen?"
"Hm?"
"Why don't we call Carly and Evan to see if they want to have dinner here tonight? I'm sure they're tired of eating frozen dinners."
"Carly cooks," Jenny reminded him.
"Not when she's working. She's notorious for frozen dinners when she gets busy."
"She's notorious for not eating when she gets busy," Jenny muttered.
"True," he agreed, "All the more reason to invite her. And it would be rude to not invite Evan."
Jenny smiled, her mood improved by the prospect of seeing Carly again and nodded.
"I'll call her after my meeting at eleven."
Gibbs smiled.
"Sounds like a plan."
Shepard
Her eyes burned the longer she stared at the computer screen in front of her and as Jenny glanced at her watch, she was disheartened to discover that it wasn't even one in the afternoon yet. Carly and Evan had agreed to dinner at least, but she couldn't help the feeling of annoyance that came over her every time she thought about the slow passage of time. Why couldn't this day just be over already? She really wanted nothing more than a hot bath, a glass of wine, and a pair of soft pajamas to curl up in bed with.
Blinking hard, Jenny reached for her cup of coffee, hoping that perhaps it would help her focus. Her shaking hand knocked into the paper cup roughly, coating the corner of her desk in rich black liquid and she swore, shoving her chair back in an attempt to avoid both staining and burns. She hit the intercom button to her left, explaining the situation to Cynthia and when the younger woman opened the door carrying a fresh cup and a towel moments later, Jenny smiled in appreciation.
"Thank you, Cynthia," she said sincerely, "You're a lifesaver."
Cynthia laughed.
"I wish every boss I'd had was as easy to please as you."
Jenny laughed with her, cleaning up the spilled liquid carefully.
"Agent Gibbs would disagree with you on that point. He says I'm stubborn to a fault."
"I'm pretty sure that's just a man thing."
Handing her the stained towel, Jenny smiled, thanking her again as she left the room, and she waited until the door had closed to sigh in frustration, running her hand through her hair.
What now?
Fortunately, the rest of the day passed without incident and as Jenny was preparing to leave the building, her office door was thrown open by her favourite former marine, a mischievous look in his sapphire blue eyes.
"I was just coming to your desk," Jenny said, grabbing her jacket from the back of her chair.
"Before we leave, close your eyes."
"You know I hate surprises," she reminded him.
"Yeah, I know. Please?"
Rolling her eyes jokingly, Jenny closed them with an exaggerated sigh, fighting the urge to look through her lashes. She could hear his footsteps retreating as he left her office and when they returned moments later, she frowned.
"What are you doing?"
"Patience is a virtue, Jen," he said, the close proximity of his voice making her jump, "Okay, open your eyes."
The first thing her senses registered was the bright pop of pinkish-purple colour in front of her and when she realised that Gibbs was holding out a large bouquet of flowers (orchids, to be exact), she couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face.
"Jethro...what is this?"
"I was an ass last night," he replied, "I shouldn't have yelled at you and I'm sorry."
Her eyes widened at his words and she took the flowers from him with an amused smile.
"I thought apologising was a sign of weakness."
Gibbs shook his head, moving close enough that he could pull her into his arms, careful not to crush the orchids between them, and he kissed her gently.
"Not with you, Jen."
Jenny smiled, kissing him again, running her free hand through his hair.
"You're forgiven. But you'd damn well better not let it happen again."
"Yes, ma'am."
She rolled her eyes, smacking his arm lightly.
"What have I told you about calling me that?"
"Won't happen again, Madame Director."
"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, do you have a death wish?"
He laughed, kissing her gently as he stepped back to allow her the space to walk to the door.
"Only if you're the one who kills me."
"Don't tempt me."
The sound of Carly's bright laughter erased all of the pain from the previous nights away as Jenny sat next to her at the dinner table, listening to her detail her first therapy session as a semi-professional therapist. The job seemed to be going well for her, giving her a sense of purpose and as she glanced at her roommate, the younger girl smiled.
"Evan has some exciting news, too."
Evan waved her words away, but after a bit of gentle persuasion, she finally nodded, taking a drink of her soda.
"I met this guy at the lounge I sing at and he's a producer of a record company. He said that for a flat rate of $800, he would let me record an album of music. I could sell it after my shows and maybe that would even lead to something bigger."
Jenny smiled.
"That's wonderful, Evan! Have you decided what songs you would want to record?"
Evan nodded, pushing her long hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, I've written a few that I think are pretty good. I've got almost enough money saved up to pay for it and then who knows what could happen?"
"You're sure this guy is reputable? He's not just trying to take advantage of you because you're a young woman?"
Evan shook her head.
"No. Believe me, I checked it out. My dad knows people who are able to dig into people's history and he doesn't have anything that is suspicious."
Gibbs nodded, but Jenny could tell he was still skeptical.
"Make sure you don't go alone."
"I won't, Mr. Gibbs," Evan assured him with a smile, "My boyfriend is going with me."
Jenny smiled, having not realised that Evan was in a relationship.
"You're seeing someone?"
"Yeah. It's nothing serious yet, but he's a nice guy. Really quiet, kind of nerdy. He's really into science. Wants to be a physicist when he graduates."
"What's his name?" Jenny asked.
"Landon. He goes to the same college Carly does. He's taking really advanced courses."
"For a nerd, he's pretty cute," Carly added with a laugh.
"What about you, Little One? Is there anyone special in your life?"
"Just you and Dad," Carly replied, "I'm not even looking right now. I want to get my classes finished and get my career going before anything else. I have been thinking about getting a puppy, though. Mom, would you want to come pick one out with me?"
Jenny nodded, taking a drink from her water.
"Sure."
The smile that Carly gave her made Jenny completely forget about the thoughts spinning in her head for a moment, and that night, a moment was long enough.
The warm water flowing around Jenny's body as she lay in the bathtub was comforting, but as she opened her eyes to look down at her skin, she frowned. Various scars, some self-inflicted, some not, decorated her otherwise perfect skin, and she felt her eyes fill with tears as she realised how disgusting she must look. How could Gibbs have held her in his arms last night and told her she was beautiful with a straight face? More importantly, how could she have ever believed him? Scars weren't beautiful, not in the slightest.
Reaching for the glass of wine balanced on the edge of tub, Jenny drained it in seconds, furiously wiping the tears from her eyes and as she pulled herself out of the water, she shivered in the sudden cold. She quickly wrapped a towel around her body as she drained the water from the tub and when she walked into the bedroom, she was profoundly grateful that Gibbs was nowhere to be seen. The soft navy-blue pajamas were warm against her skin and as she glanced at herself in the mirror, she sighed.
The fabric seemed to cling to every flaw on her body, accentuating every curve, drawing attention to every aspect of her frame that she considered less-than-ideal, and Jenny ran her hand through her hair. True, she'd never been a beauty queen before, but how had she let herself get this bad? At this point, she didn't even know if there was a chance to salvage any of her appearance. After all, she wasn't getting any younger and she wouldn't have blamed Gibbs in the least if he decided that he wanted someone younger, someone more attractive. Someone like Ziva, perhaps.
"What's wrong?"
Whipping around so fast that her wet hair smacked her in the face, Jenny swore when she saw Gibbs standing in the doorway, his face a perfect mixture of confusion and concern.
"Jesus, Jethro. You almost gave me a heart attack."
He merely waited for her to answer his question and she sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to let this go any time soon.
"I just...Jethro, how can you honestly think I'm attractive? I mean, before all the scars I wasn't hideous, but now...I look disgusting."
"Jen, the last word I would ever use to describe you is disgusting. Scars don't take away from how stunningly beautiful you are. Let me ask you something: we've had this discussion before, right?"
She nodded.
"And has my answer ever changed?"
"No," she whispered.
"Exactly," he told her, "Not one word has changed. You are the most beautiful woman alive and nothing in the world would ever change that. No amount of weight, no matter how many scars you have, even if you lost your hair, you would still be gorgeous."
He moved closer, placing his hands on her shoulders, his lips warm on her ear as he spoke.
"The only thing that might change my mind would be if you coloured your hair blonde. That might be a deal breaker. No hair at all is preferable to blonde hair on you. It wouldn't suit you and I would be extremely concerned about your mental state if you ever tried it."
She laughed softly, smiling when his hands moved from her shoulders to encircle her waist.
"Why do you put up with me?" she asked quietly.
"You put up with me," he reminded her, "We're partners. In every sense of the word. Work partners, sexual partners, romantic partners, parental partners...face it, Shepard. You're stuck with me until you finally snap and shoot me."
Jenny laughed, leaning into his embrace.
"That's too messy. I'd just cover your face with a pillow while you were sleeping. Just until the twitching stops."
Gibbs laughed, placing a light kiss on the shell of her ear.
"You'd also enlist Ziva and Abby's help with disposing of my body, wouldn't you?"
"Damn right. So don't cross me, Leroy Jethro. I can kill you and leave no trace of evidence."
"Have I ever mentioned how sexy you are when you threaten my life?"
"You might have mentioned it once or twice," she answered with a laugh.
Turning her around so that they were face-to-face, Gibbs' eyes met hers, sapphire eyes locking onto emerald green, and he kissed her, running his fingers through her hair, slowly trailing lightly over her cheek.
"Even when we're both so old that we have to get Carly to push us around in wheelchairs, you will still be the most beautiful woman in the world to me," he whispered, "and nothing will ever change how much I love you."
She smiled, kissing him again and when he spoke again, he gave her a warm smile.
"Marry me, Jen."
"Okay, Jethro."
A/N: Hm...what's next for our favourite couple now? Only time will tell.
