A/N: Happy Saturday, my loves. Well, here we are: we have reached the end of our journey. I can't thank you enough for your support and for sticking with me for this story! Mad love to you all and I'll see you in the next one!

Seven Years Later

"Hey, Dad!" Carly's voice was bright as she breezed into the living room, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek, "How was your day?"

Gibbs smiled as he gave her a hug, motioning for her to sit.

"Not bad. Still trying to solve this damn case, but you know...nothing new. Nearly choked the life out of DiNozzo today, but that's pretty standard. What about you?"

Carly shrugged, as she pulled out a water bottle from her bag, unscrewing the cap quickly.

"I gave a patient his feelings wheel today," she laughed, "He didn't like it."

Gibbs frowned, more than a little confused.

"What the hell is a 'feelings wheel'?" he asked.

"It's a little paper wheel with different feelings written on it. You move the little arrow to which emotion you're experiencing instead of saying it out loud. It works really well for kids. And stubborn people."

She paused, looking at him for a moment and nodded in his direction.

"You should get a feelings wheel, Dad."

He rolled his eyes, taking a drink from his bourbon.

"No," he said simply.

They fell into an easy silence for several minutes, each unwinding from their day and taking comfort in each other's presence, and when Carly broke it, he tensed at her question.

"Aren't you going to ask?"

He sighed.

"How's Daniel?"

It was no secret that he still wasn't thrilled about Carly dating, and especially not so seriously at her age, but he knew that he was just going to have to suck it up if he wanted to keep the peace. It wasn't Carly's fault that he still saw her as that fragile sixteen-year-old she'd been all those years ago.

"He's good. In line for a promotion, so we'll see how it goes over the next few weeks."

Right. He'd heard through office scuttlebutt that Anhedonia was moving up in the ranks, but he hadn't really stopped to consider what that might mean for his daughter. Carly laughed at his obvious discomfort and leaned forward in the chair, putting her hand on his knee.

"Dad, he's a good guy, whether you like it or not."

"Never said he wasn't," Gibbs said shortly, "but you're moving a little fast, don't you think?"

"It's been six years. You and Mom moved pretty fast when you stop to consider it, you know."

Though he had to admit she had a good point, he still didn't like the idea of her dating. She would always be that angst-ridden teenager in his mind. No, it was definitely better to change the subject.

"How's Evan? Haven't heard from her in a few weeks."

"She's doing really good. Super busy, though. Even I haven't heard much from her. She's working so much now."

Gibbs nodded, taking another drink from his glass, looking at her seriously.

"What's with the surprise visit? Didn't expect to see you until next week."

Carly shrugged.

"I had some free time and I thought maybe you could use conversation that didn't revolve around cases. I know things have been kind of quiet around here lately. And Mom would never forgive me if I let you work yourself to death."

She looked at him briefly at the mention of Jenny, but said nothing else. He knew she was wondering if she should speak, but he merely nodded.

"You're right. She wouldn't."

"I just...you've always kind of buried yourself in work, even before you met Mom, and now—"

"It's fine, kid," he said quietly, "I have a feeling we're pretty close to solving this one, and then I'll have so much free time that I might ask Ducky to join a book club."

Carly laughed.

"You? Read? Maybe if it's a picture book."

The smile on her face was so bright that he decided to let the dig slide.

If he thought he'd been in a bad mood that morning when he woke, it was nothing compared to the way it took a complete nose-dive after he had been called into the Director's office, the sight of that ever-present toothpick hanging from Leon Vance's teeth setting him more on edge than he could ever remember being in his presence.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked, his voice carefully neutral.

Vance nodded.

"Got a new recruit coming in tomorrow morning at 07:00. I expect you to treat her no differently than the rest of your team."

Gibbs frowned.

"Why would I treat her differently?"

"She's young."

"And? Kate was only thirty, Ziva was thirty-one when she started. Age isn't indicative of experience."

Vance smiled, nodding at him once.

"That's exactly why I assigned her to you. I expect you to keep that attitude, Agent Gibbs."

"Yes, sir."

Gibbs fought the urge to smirk as he left the office. It wasn't his attitude that Vance needed to worry about. Though, he knew if it came down to it, he would set the rest of his team straight without a moments notice.

The rest of his day passed without incident, though he spent an ungodly amount of time searching for leads and clues that were nowhere to be found, and as he stared at the computer screen in front of him, he wondered if it were possible to make it spontaneously combust just by the pure force of his will. It remained intact in spite of his best efforts, and he sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. This case was growing colder by the minute, and the universe showed no signs of relenting any time soon.

"Boss?"

He frowned, glancing up at Tony DiNozzo.

"Yeah?"

"We might have something. Remember where we originally found the body? What if that wasn't the murder site? It's possible we haven't found anything there because there's nothing to find. Maybe we're looking in the wrong place for the wrong things."

Gibbs considered this, thinking hard.

"Have the local LEOs pull the camera footage from the traffic lights. We might find something on them."

"On it."

Running his fingers through his hair, Gibbs sighed, wanting nothing more than to be anywhere but his desk. He tried not to dwell on the fact that he had lied to Carly the previous day when he'd said they were close to solving his case, but he knew that she would never let him hear the end of her concerns if she knew the truth. More than anything, he missed Jenny, missed her sarcasm, her wit, missed her analytical mind, the look in her eyes when she was determined to find answers...But he couldn't think about her now, not if he wanted to have any hope of solving this case by the end of the century.

By the time he finally made it to his truck that night, his every thought was focused on the very large amount of bourbon he was planning on downing as soon as he walked in his front door, so strong he could almost taste it. He pulled into the driveway more hastily than was normal, blinking hard to keep himself awake, and he sighed as he read the time on his watch.

"Hey, at least I can get two hours of sleep," he muttered to himself dryly.

He knew that his chances of sleeping were incredibly low, but it could wait. He needed to think, needed a way to process this case without distraction, and he had always done his best thinking while working on his boat. Shrugging off his jacket, he closed the front door against the cold, immediately making his way towards the basement steps. His footsteps were loud in the silence, almost enough to make him feel uncomfortable, and as he turned on the light above his worktable, he sighed again.

"I shouldn't have stayed away so long."

Turning at the sound, Gibbs couldn't stop the way his heart began to beat suddenly faster in his chest, his tired mind unable to process what he was seeing.

"Jen?"

She smiled, stepping away from the boat he was currently building, and looked at him seriously.

"If I'd known you were going to work yourself to death, I would have come back earlier."

"When did you—where's your car?"

He was sure he hadn't see it in the driveway. Almost sure, anyway.

"I took a taxi. Didn't want to risk driving so late at night. Got here about two hours ago."

She was closer now and he could see that she was paler than he would have liked, thinner than she had been the last time he'd seen her, but she didn't look nearly as exhausted as she had three months ago.

"How was your trip?"

She shrugged.

"It was fine. I think I made the right decision."

He knew she'd been struggling with her choice to step down as director, no matter how much she had claimed otherwise, and to hear her say so now made him smile. The English department at Georgetown University was lucky to have her, and he hoped they knew it.

"Not the same without you," he told her honestly.

"I can still stop by and give DiNozzo hell occasionally. My classes aren't that long."

"Yeah, but then your students would be deprived of learning from such a fantastic teacher."

Jenny smiled, reaching out to touch his cheek lightly.

"Little One told me that she was worried about you."

He rolled his eyes.

"Didn't mean you had to come back."

Jenny shook her head, laughing quietly.

"It was just a two-week vacation. It's not like it was a life-or-death situation she pulled me away from."

He pulled her close, his desire for bourbon all but forgotten, and kissed her hair, breathing in the vanilla of her perfume.

"I missed you, Jen."

She smiled, kissing him gently, her fingers running through his hair, lingering longer than was strictly necessary.

"I missed you, too. But you know, something happens to you whenever I stay away for too long. You forget that you don't have the power to fix everything. Just like this case. You have to take care of yourself, or you'll be of no use to anyone. I know you want to find the solution and make the whole world right. You've got a big heart, an incredible mind, and an ego the size of Montana."

He laughed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"You do, Jethro," she said with a small laugh, "You don't have the power to fix everything."

She kissed him again, long and slow, making up for all the time they had been apart, her hand slipping under his shirt.

"But I do love watching you try," she whispered.

Hours later, long after the hot shower that did more for his frayed nerves than he would ever admit, Gibbs laid in the bed, pulling his wife into his arms carefully, still hardly able believe she was next to him. Though he knew that she'd needed the vacation, he was so unbelievably happy to have her back, and he unconsciously tightened his hold on her body.

"Jethro, I'm not going anywhere," she said softly, "I promise."

He smiled, kissing her hair.

"I know. I just missed you so much."

"I missed you, too. But you can't neglect your own health just because I'm not here to kick your ass. I need to know that you're going to be okay when I'm not around."

Gibbs knew that she wasn't talking about a simple vacation anymore, and he glanced down at her, his eyes serious. He didn't want to have this discussion, didn't even want to consider that he would one day have to live without her, but as was so often the case, Jenny was right.

"I will be. Not saying it will be easy, but I'll manage."

"Good. Because you can't die because of me. That wouldn't help anyone."

"When you say 'because of you', I'm assuming you don't mean that you would be the cause of my death?"

Jenny laughed, shaking her head.

"No, that's entirely possible. I meant you can't do something stupid and get yourself killed. Dying for someone you love is a terrible idea."

Gibbs frowned, thinking for a long moment before he answered.

"I'd die for you," he said, his voice entirely serious.

Jenny carefully raised up from her position in his arms, her hair spilling over his chest in a fiery waterfall, looking at him almost angrily.

"I'd hope not. We have Little One to consider and she needs you. You can't abandon her simply because you love me."

He shook his head, hoping to clarify,

"Didn't mean that. I meant if it was a choice, if it came down to me or you, I would die for you without even hesitating."

She simply stared at him, unable to find her voice, and he reached out to brush her hair back from her face, his touch gentle.

"I'd die for you," he repeated, "I would haunt you every single day from whatever afterlife there is, but still. It's the thought that counts, right?"

Jenny smiled, laughing as she ran her fingers through his hair, kissing him slowly.

"In that case, I would consider it the highest honor to be haunted by you, Jethro."

He pulled her closer, wrapping her in his arms as he kissed her again.

"Every bad hair day, every time your coffee spills, any time another man tries to get too close...I'll be there, Jen. It'll be me, don't you forget it."

Jenny kissed him, her hair enveloping him in the sweet scent of vanilla, and as she slid her hands under his shirt, he turned so that she was laying beneath him.

"I love you, Jen."

"Don't you forget it, Leroy Jethro."

He slipped his hands into her hair, kissing her again.

"Couldn't even if I tried."

"By the way," she said casually, "I love you, too."

As he held Jenny in his arms, Gibbs had to admit that she was right: he didn't have the power to fix everything, but he'd be damned if he was going to let anything stop him from trying and as long as he had his family, he though he had a pretty damn good chance.

A/N: Reviews are love!