Disclaimer: I own nothing, everything belongs to CBS. Title of the story is roughly based on the Bruce Springsteen song.

A/N: Admittedly it has been a very long time since I contributed something to the Jibbs universe. I am slowly getting back into the swing of things. There are several unfinished stories, but I hope to have them all wrapped up as time goes. This chapter was written almost 2 years ago, and with a very special thanks to NerdyJibbsOreo I managed to find my love for Jibbs once again. It's an extremely challenging fic to write, so naturally a lot of the timeline has been changed. In this Judgement Day did happen, everything hopefully explains itself. No matter how much research I have done there are bound to be mistakes or cases of creative license, I honestly don't wish to offend anyone. As the story continues some characters might appear OOC despite how hard I try to stay between the character lines.

Enjoy*


The July sun was hot on her face. She could hear the tweeting of nearby birds, despite the cars driving past the Navy Yard. She listened to her Detail confirm the Director was still okay and that whatever perimeter they deemed fit was secured. Sitting on a stone bench in front of the building she ran wasn't her ideal example of relaxation, but it was better than being cooped up in a depressing office.

Breathing in the warm air that wafted around her, she tried to remember where she'd gone wrong. The moment she left Jethro, with nothing but a letter and the soft butterscotch leather coat he'd bought her, that must have felt like a slap in the face. If their roles had been reversed, she probably would have shot him in the knee for leaving in such a lousy way. That was the past and she had tried to move on.

The death of her father had loomed over her since the day she discovered he had supposedly committed suicide. That had been her driving force up until the moment she shot the man responsible in the head. An eye for an eye – that's how she preferred to see it as opposed to Jethro's speech about the need to hate someone. She didn't need anyone or anything – but she wanted Jethro, and she wanted her life to be different.

In the end – fate, karma – call it what you will, or whatever Abby would, it had finally caught up with her. When Ducky had told her, she had simply thanked the good doctor and had asked him to please keep this quiet. She didn't need people's sympathy. All she needed was for everyone to continue as if everything was still the same, but she knew, and that was getting to her. Those two weeks being poked and prodded had hurt, and she' hoped they'd tell her that she was absolutely fine. For a brief moment she'd forgotten she was sick – Natasha had been after her and she'd hoped that life would be more forgiving in the way she left this world.

Jethro just had to be a damn hero.

He'd swooped in at the last moment with what had looked like a SWAT team, killing almost everyone in sight. Mike had laughed that gravely laugh of his and had lit up a cigarette, celebrating yet another chance at life. She'd envied him, wishing she could be as happy as he was they hadn't been killed. Vance had been on his high-horse ever since then, but she'd ignored him and SecNav.

Jethro hadn't talked to her since that day, at least not like the adult he actually was. He had shouted at her and called her out on all the various things she could have done better. Berated her on things that had been completely out of her control. At least the few days he'd been away in Stillwater had given her some peace and quiet.

Pushing her Aviator sunglasses further up her nose she watched team Gibbs walk across the large expanse of green grass. Their laughter reached her, and it reminded her of better times. She doubted Tony would ever be able to forgive her for what she had done to him. She knew exactly how he felt. Every day she had to look into the eyes of the man who had once been her everything, and then leaving him because she had other priorities.

Abby waved from where she skipped next to Tim. Jenny waved back, giving her smile, Abby had a big heart and a whole lot of soul. She knew that Abby had been panicked when she had run the blood sample. At least it didn't exactly pinpoint the disease. It just confirmed something was wrong, making it easier for Ducky to lie. She had felt bad about dragging him into this, but she'd rather have it come from a friend than a complete stranger.

Tilting her head up she enjoyed the moment of peace. She wasn't going to give up. Her life was far from over, and she was going to live until the very last breath she took. Her boost of spirit and confidence quickly disappeared when she spotted him near the coffee stand. If it hadn't been for the pain, she would have moved quicker, but he'd spotted her long before she could get to her feet.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she saw Melvin look at her with concern. He was the only other person who knew about her health, or rather lack there of. He had pieced the two things together and had told her that he understood since he had family going through the same thing. She knew he'd be ready to fight Jethro off just so she could have a moment of serenity. She shook her head at him minutely. She had to face him sooner or later, especially since she'd be stepping down the moment Leon and his family were settled in DC.

She felt his eyes run over her. Trying to see if she was going to tell him to leave her alone or if she'd be willing to talk to him.

Jethro held out the second cup of coffee, giving her a brief smile as she took it from him. He nodded at Melvin as he looked at him before turning back to scanning their surroundings, stepping further away to give them some privacy. Taking a seat next to Jenny, he drank from his tall Styrofoam cup.

"Never thought I'd see you outside, Madam Director." He wanted her to snap at him, just so he could be reminded that she was still with him. The whole California déb?cle had terrified him, a few times he'd thought he'd lost her, but he'd never tell her that.

She didn't answer him, preferring to simply drink the scalding coffee. She desperately wanted to tell him she was sick, but she didn't want to see him pity her. People went through this all the time. It was hardly something new, and she would make it through this.

"You have a nice day, Special Agent Gibbs." She wasn't going to have her blood pressure shoot through the roof just to satisfy his child-like need to make her angry. She moved to get up but his hand wrapping around her wrist made her stop.

"Jenny," Jethro said gruffly, he hated the fact that he couldn't look into her eyes. "What's going on?"

She pulled her hand away from him, knowing he'd feel her pulse skitter. Shrugging her shoulders, she took another drink from her cup. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Jethro rolled his eyes. He didn't have the patience to try and figure out what exactly it was that she was so desperately trying to hide. He knew Jenny, knew what she was like when something bothered her or when she was trying to hide something. Abby had expressed her concern. Telling him that the Director didn't drop by for visits any more and that it was bothering her. Hoping to appease her, he had set out to see what the problem was.

He didn't want to tell Abby that he suspected there was something wrong with Jenny, it would only make her worry. The sudden two week absence had only grounded his suspicions and given Ducky's uncanny ability to keep the darkest of secrets he knew something was up. He just didn't know what.

"Where were you those two weeks before Decker's funeral?" Jethro turned to look at her. He couldn't see anything physically wrong with her, apart from the fact that she had lost some weight.

"Personal time, Jethro, and what I did is none of your business." She pushed herself up and turned to look at him, her eyes still covered. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Melvin was by her side in seconds, walking two steps behind her. She could feel Jethro's icy blue eyes bore into her back as she walked back towards the building. She'd tell him she was sick the day she handed in her resignation and Leon took her place as Director. For now she just wanted to do her job without anyone looking at her differently.

She smiled at the guard at the front desk as he greeted her like he always did. Pressing the button for the elevator, she stepped in with Melvin beside her. The elevator jolted as it started moving.

"He's going to find out sooner or later." Melvin said as they rode the elevator up.

"It doesn't concern him." Jenny answered as she took off her sunglasses and slipped them into the breast pocket of her blouse.

"He cares about you." Melvin looked at her over his shoulder. "He just doesn't show it."

Jenny laughed, "When exactly did you become such an expert on peoples feelings?"

Melvin gave a soft chuckle and shook his head, he turned to look at the silver doors again turning a bit more serious this time. "He looks at you the same way my brother-in-law looked at my sister when he suspected she had cancer."


TBC...

A/N: You can all find me on Tumblr under JamJar98 if you have any questions.