[Oneshot] Try A Little Tenderness
TITLE: Try A Little Tenderness
AUTHOR: marciafan
CHARACTERS: Jenny Shepard, Jethro Gibbs
GENRE: Angst, Romance, AU
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: New installment in the AU Elizabeth series. Jenny has a secret to reveal, and the consequences may be devastating for her and Gibbs.
WORD COUNT: 1,763
PROMPT: Words #12 for Round #10 at madame_director
WARNINGS: Alternate Universe. Probably slightly OOC, I apologize.
NOTES: English isn't my mother language and this is not beta'd, so please bear with me and my mistakes. Feedback (both positive and negative, as long as it's constructive) is very much appreciated. This is for kay_pwns, who asked for angst and fluff. Hope you like it, Kay!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters (except for Elizabeth, whom I created), nor am I making money out of this. If I were, I'd be rich by now.
It's not just sentimental
She has her grief
And her cares
(Michael Bublé)
The big Georgetown house was dark and silent as Leroy Jethro Gibbs got out of his car in the late summer night. He walked up to the front door and unlocked it, stepping in quietly.
His trained senses alerted him to the presence of something on his path and he expertly managed to sidestep his daughter’s bicycle in the middle of the hall, wondering briefly why it wasn’t out in the back yard as usual.
Shrugging, he decided to leave it alone for tonight and made his way up the stairs as quietly as he could, trying not to wake up his family by coming home in the dead of night.
Like every night, he sneaked silently into his daughter’s room, a smile creeping up his face as he saw her spread across the bed, the blanket tangled at her feet.
Suppressing a chuckle at the sudden loud snoring coming from Elizabeth, Gibbs walked up to the bed and tucked her in as gently as he could, careful not to wake her up.
“Daddy…”
“Shh…go back to sleep, Liz.” Gibbs smiled and laid a gentle hand on his daughter’s head, soothing her back to sleep and leaning down to press a kiss to her messy red hair. He waited a minute longer, listening to her steady breathing, before he slipped out of the room as quietly as he had sneaked in.
He moved easily in the familiar darkness of the hallway, slipping into his dimly lit bedroom. His eyes stopped on the laying figure of his wife, but he knew her well enough to know that she wasn’t asleep.
“I’m awake.” She announced anyway, rolling on her side to look at him.
“I know.” Gibbs smirked and approached the bed, sitting down next to Jenny.
It was unusual to find her lying on the bed without reports to read or some other paperwork to do, but a glance at her distressed appearance told him why she wasn’t doing anything at all.
“You look like hell, Jen.”
She indeed looked unnaturally pale, her hair was a mess and there were dark shadows under her bloodshot eyes, signalling lack of sleep and most likely a killer headache.
Still, she managed to shoot him a menacing glare, “I’m happy to see you too, Jethro.”
His lips curved into one of his signature smirks, and for once he didn’t curse his ability of sticking his foot in his mouth ever so often.
“Next time I take the late night shift and you spend the afternoon with a bunch of screaming seven year-olds.” She simply stated to answer his silent question.
He smirked, “I think you lost the right to do that when you gave up field work, Director.” He replied mockingly, earning himself another glare.
“And I acquired the right to boss you around, I kinda like that exchange.” She gave him a smug smile and threw back the covers to get up, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
“That’s only on the job, Jen. When we’re off the job I’m in charge.” His hands sneaked around her waist to pull her back to him before she could walk away and she felt him smirk against her skin as his lips caressed the side of her neck.
“Ya think?” Jenny couldn’t help but giggle a little as his warm breath tickled her neck, and he murmured his approval into her ear, dropping a kiss behind it as he pulled her flush against his chest.
Rubbing his hands against her sides tenderly, Gibbs opened his eyes and glanced at her nightly attire, taking into the short silk nightgown that barely hit her thighs and noticing her slightly rounded belly underneath it.
“You look like you did when you were pregnant.” He murmured, nuzzling her cheek sweetly.
And the change in her body language was fractional, but he felt it as though a crack had opened between them.
“You don’t know what I looked like when I was pregnant.” Jenny muttered, her voice colder than it should have been as she disentangled herself from his embrace and walked into the en-suite bathroom, ignoring his stare.
She could feel his eyes follow her every movement as he leaned against the bathroom door and watched her, the silence between them speaking volumes.
“I’ve seen pictures, from some time Ducky went to see you.” Gibbs said neutrally after a while, staring at her to catch her reaction.
The silence stretched again, and Gibbs didn’t miss the way Jenny’s shoulders tensed and the way her movements faltered as she started to wash her hands.
“I didn’t think he still had them.” She just said quietly, drying her hands and keeping her eyes down as she tried to walk past him out of the bathroom.
“Jen, what’s going on?”
His hand flew to grab her arm, and she stopped to look up at him, her green eyes shining dangerously, “You really don’t want to know.” She pushed his hand away and walked back to the bed, sitting down on it.
His eyes almost bore a hole into her body as he stared at her from across the room, silently demanding an explanation.
“Okay…” Jenny sighed and curled up against the headboard, looking at him, “I have- we might have a problem.”
Gibbs’ eyes narrowed as he put his shirt away and stood shirtless in front of her. A turn on if it weren’t for the concerned look on his face, “What’s wrong, Jen? You sick?” He was at her side in a matter of seconds, his fingers gently caressing her cheek, as if he could find the answer to his question by probing the softness of her skin.
“You could say that.” She smiled bitterly, but he knew better than to question her reaction or prompt her to say more. He just ran his hands up to her shoulders and started to loose the tense muscles to relax her, waiting for her to continue.
“I’m pregnant, Jethro.” Jenny said quietly after a while.
And the way his hands stopped moving on her shoulders altogether told her everything she needed to know.
---
Her words cut through him like a knife and Gibbs took a deep breath, his mind starting to process the information she had just revealed.
So she was pregnant. And clearly unhappy about it, but he could understand that. She had a job that meant the world to her - although it also made it hard for her to even be home for dinner at times - and so did he. They made it work for Elizabeth, and she was used to it as she had come at a time when Jenny had been working anti-terrorism ops in the Middle East and Eastern Europe as a liaison agent for NCIS. But how would they fit another child into their busy life now? How could she, the Director of a federal agency, go through pregnancy and motherhood all over again? It was hard enough when she had been an agent, but how was she expected now to deal with all the difficulties pregnancy and motherhood brought while still doing her job?
It was crazy and complicated, and Gibbs was almost scared to realize that, as inconvenient as it was, the more he thought about it the more he liked the idea.
He got up and took his time changing for the night, trying to ignore his wife’s stare and the images his mind was providing of a pregnant Jenny, exactly like he had seen her in Ducky’s pictures.
“I don’t think I can do this again, Jethro.” Her voice, soft but firm, forced him to turn around and look at her. But he kept silent, his eyes inviting her to go on.
“I did it once and it was enough for me. It almost destroyed my career the first time and, God help me, I love Elizabeth more than my own life, but I don’t think that I could love another baby the same. Not if I had to sacrifice my career for it. I’m not willing to risk everything I worked so hard for, just for this…unplanned blessing.” She took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on his, and Gibbs had to smile inwardly despite everything, proud of her.
Because he knew where she was coming from and he understood her reasons. Because he looked into her green eyes and saw the deepest sorrow mixed with the fierce determination that always pushed her to get what she wanted, no matter how hard she worked to get there. The same determination that made her such a good partner to him. On and off the job.
And he knew right then that it was her call to make, that he had to let her make a decision and trust her judgement. No matter how much he liked the idea of going through the whole pregnancy with her this time. He thought they could make it, but he wouldn’t force her to keep the baby if she didn’t want to.
They had never really talked about having more kids after Elizabeth; she had always been enough for both of them. Now this pregnancy was unplanned and he understood that it would be way too complicated to fit a baby into their tight schedule.
So it was up to her, he would just support whatever decision she made.
---
Without another word, Jenny slid back to a laying position, closing her eyes and rubbing a hand tiredly over her face.
The thought that she might leave again if she felt forced to do something against her will crossed Gibbs’ mind for a fleeting moment, and he sat down next to her on the bed, trying to get rid of the feeling as he stroked her hair soothingly.
“I think we can do it, Jen…” He spoke quietly, moving to lie next to her when she lifted her head to look at him, accusation and something way too akin to raw desperation written all over her face.
“But I’m leaving it up to you. Having you and Liz is enough for me.”
Short sentences that were just so typical of him, but looking into his eyes Jenny found all the feelings he just didn’t find the words to express.
His ice-blue eyes, so gentle and caring when he looked at her in the dim light, told her that he would accept her decision, whatever it might be, no matter how he may wish differently. And she loved him for that.
More than she’d ever tell him.
THE END
AUTHOR: marciafan
CHARACTERS: Jenny Shepard, Jethro Gibbs
GENRE: Angst, Romance, AU
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: New installment in the AU Elizabeth series. Jenny has a secret to reveal, and the consequences may be devastating for her and Gibbs.
WORD COUNT: 1,763
PROMPT: Words #12 for Round #10 at madame_director
WARNINGS: Alternate Universe. Probably slightly OOC, I apologize.
NOTES: English isn't my mother language and this is not beta'd, so please bear with me and my mistakes. Feedback (both positive and negative, as long as it's constructive) is very much appreciated. This is for kay_pwns, who asked for angst and fluff. Hope you like it, Kay!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters (except for Elizabeth, whom I created), nor am I making money out of this. If I were, I'd be rich by now.
It's not just sentimental
She has her grief
And her cares
(Michael Bublé)
The big Georgetown house was dark and silent as Leroy Jethro Gibbs got out of his car in the late summer night. He walked up to the front door and unlocked it, stepping in quietly.
His trained senses alerted him to the presence of something on his path and he expertly managed to sidestep his daughter’s bicycle in the middle of the hall, wondering briefly why it wasn’t out in the back yard as usual.
Shrugging, he decided to leave it alone for tonight and made his way up the stairs as quietly as he could, trying not to wake up his family by coming home in the dead of night.
Like every night, he sneaked silently into his daughter’s room, a smile creeping up his face as he saw her spread across the bed, the blanket tangled at her feet.
Suppressing a chuckle at the sudden loud snoring coming from Elizabeth, Gibbs walked up to the bed and tucked her in as gently as he could, careful not to wake her up.
“Daddy…”
“Shh…go back to sleep, Liz.” Gibbs smiled and laid a gentle hand on his daughter’s head, soothing her back to sleep and leaning down to press a kiss to her messy red hair. He waited a minute longer, listening to her steady breathing, before he slipped out of the room as quietly as he had sneaked in.
He moved easily in the familiar darkness of the hallway, slipping into his dimly lit bedroom. His eyes stopped on the laying figure of his wife, but he knew her well enough to know that she wasn’t asleep.
“I’m awake.” She announced anyway, rolling on her side to look at him.
“I know.” Gibbs smirked and approached the bed, sitting down next to Jenny.
It was unusual to find her lying on the bed without reports to read or some other paperwork to do, but a glance at her distressed appearance told him why she wasn’t doing anything at all.
“You look like hell, Jen.”
She indeed looked unnaturally pale, her hair was a mess and there were dark shadows under her bloodshot eyes, signalling lack of sleep and most likely a killer headache.
Still, she managed to shoot him a menacing glare, “I’m happy to see you too, Jethro.”
His lips curved into one of his signature smirks, and for once he didn’t curse his ability of sticking his foot in his mouth ever so often.
“Next time I take the late night shift and you spend the afternoon with a bunch of screaming seven year-olds.” She simply stated to answer his silent question.
He smirked, “I think you lost the right to do that when you gave up field work, Director.” He replied mockingly, earning himself another glare.
“And I acquired the right to boss you around, I kinda like that exchange.” She gave him a smug smile and threw back the covers to get up, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
“That’s only on the job, Jen. When we’re off the job I’m in charge.” His hands sneaked around her waist to pull her back to him before she could walk away and she felt him smirk against her skin as his lips caressed the side of her neck.
“Ya think?” Jenny couldn’t help but giggle a little as his warm breath tickled her neck, and he murmured his approval into her ear, dropping a kiss behind it as he pulled her flush against his chest.
Rubbing his hands against her sides tenderly, Gibbs opened his eyes and glanced at her nightly attire, taking into the short silk nightgown that barely hit her thighs and noticing her slightly rounded belly underneath it.
“You look like you did when you were pregnant.” He murmured, nuzzling her cheek sweetly.
And the change in her body language was fractional, but he felt it as though a crack had opened between them.
“You don’t know what I looked like when I was pregnant.” Jenny muttered, her voice colder than it should have been as she disentangled herself from his embrace and walked into the en-suite bathroom, ignoring his stare.
She could feel his eyes follow her every movement as he leaned against the bathroom door and watched her, the silence between them speaking volumes.
“I’ve seen pictures, from some time Ducky went to see you.” Gibbs said neutrally after a while, staring at her to catch her reaction.
The silence stretched again, and Gibbs didn’t miss the way Jenny’s shoulders tensed and the way her movements faltered as she started to wash her hands.
“I didn’t think he still had them.” She just said quietly, drying her hands and keeping her eyes down as she tried to walk past him out of the bathroom.
“Jen, what’s going on?”
His hand flew to grab her arm, and she stopped to look up at him, her green eyes shining dangerously, “You really don’t want to know.” She pushed his hand away and walked back to the bed, sitting down on it.
His eyes almost bore a hole into her body as he stared at her from across the room, silently demanding an explanation.
“Okay…” Jenny sighed and curled up against the headboard, looking at him, “I have- we might have a problem.”
Gibbs’ eyes narrowed as he put his shirt away and stood shirtless in front of her. A turn on if it weren’t for the concerned look on his face, “What’s wrong, Jen? You sick?” He was at her side in a matter of seconds, his fingers gently caressing her cheek, as if he could find the answer to his question by probing the softness of her skin.
“You could say that.” She smiled bitterly, but he knew better than to question her reaction or prompt her to say more. He just ran his hands up to her shoulders and started to loose the tense muscles to relax her, waiting for her to continue.
“I’m pregnant, Jethro.” Jenny said quietly after a while.
And the way his hands stopped moving on her shoulders altogether told her everything she needed to know.
---
Her words cut through him like a knife and Gibbs took a deep breath, his mind starting to process the information she had just revealed.
So she was pregnant. And clearly unhappy about it, but he could understand that. She had a job that meant the world to her - although it also made it hard for her to even be home for dinner at times - and so did he. They made it work for Elizabeth, and she was used to it as she had come at a time when Jenny had been working anti-terrorism ops in the Middle East and Eastern Europe as a liaison agent for NCIS. But how would they fit another child into their busy life now? How could she, the Director of a federal agency, go through pregnancy and motherhood all over again? It was hard enough when she had been an agent, but how was she expected now to deal with all the difficulties pregnancy and motherhood brought while still doing her job?
It was crazy and complicated, and Gibbs was almost scared to realize that, as inconvenient as it was, the more he thought about it the more he liked the idea.
He got up and took his time changing for the night, trying to ignore his wife’s stare and the images his mind was providing of a pregnant Jenny, exactly like he had seen her in Ducky’s pictures.
“I don’t think I can do this again, Jethro.” Her voice, soft but firm, forced him to turn around and look at her. But he kept silent, his eyes inviting her to go on.
“I did it once and it was enough for me. It almost destroyed my career the first time and, God help me, I love Elizabeth more than my own life, but I don’t think that I could love another baby the same. Not if I had to sacrifice my career for it. I’m not willing to risk everything I worked so hard for, just for this…unplanned blessing.” She took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on his, and Gibbs had to smile inwardly despite everything, proud of her.
Because he knew where she was coming from and he understood her reasons. Because he looked into her green eyes and saw the deepest sorrow mixed with the fierce determination that always pushed her to get what she wanted, no matter how hard she worked to get there. The same determination that made her such a good partner to him. On and off the job.
And he knew right then that it was her call to make, that he had to let her make a decision and trust her judgement. No matter how much he liked the idea of going through the whole pregnancy with her this time. He thought they could make it, but he wouldn’t force her to keep the baby if she didn’t want to.
They had never really talked about having more kids after Elizabeth; she had always been enough for both of them. Now this pregnancy was unplanned and he understood that it would be way too complicated to fit a baby into their tight schedule.
So it was up to her, he would just support whatever decision she made.
---
Without another word, Jenny slid back to a laying position, closing her eyes and rubbing a hand tiredly over her face.
The thought that she might leave again if she felt forced to do something against her will crossed Gibbs’ mind for a fleeting moment, and he sat down next to her on the bed, trying to get rid of the feeling as he stroked her hair soothingly.
“I think we can do it, Jen…” He spoke quietly, moving to lie next to her when she lifted her head to look at him, accusation and something way too akin to raw desperation written all over her face.
“But I’m leaving it up to you. Having you and Liz is enough for me.”
Short sentences that were just so typical of him, but looking into his eyes Jenny found all the feelings he just didn’t find the words to express.
His ice-blue eyes, so gentle and caring when he looked at her in the dim light, told her that he would accept her decision, whatever it might be, no matter how he may wish differently. And she loved him for that.
More than she’d ever tell him.
THE END