A different answer

A/N: I know I said in A quiet Christmas that that one was supposed to be my last story of 2023 but with it being New Years Eve today I've decided to give all you beautiful Angels an early present to welcome 2024 ! Enjoy, Angels.

This is a tag to the season 5 episode Lost and Found. What if Jethro's answer was different to the no he gave Jenny when she asked him to stay with her? This is my take on what would have happened if he said yes to her. Enjoy, Angels.

"Once upon a time I'd have asked you to stay and I wouldn't have taken no for an answer." Jen says to him as he grabs his coat, putting it on. The word 'no' is on the tip of his tongue, then he sees the loneliness in her green eyes she's tried to hide, but he knows her too well so he takes off his coat again and puts it back.

"I can stay a while longer." He tells her. He can actually stay all night but he's not about to tell her that because there's no off the job for them. There's no one for him at home, waiting for him, except a boat and a few bottles of bourbon.

Jenny nods and walks back into her study, turning off the jazz music Carson had had on while reading and picking up the empty cup of hot chocolate she had made him. "You okay, Jen?" Jethro asks quietly as Jenny walks out of her study and into her kitchen where she begins tidying up the dinner plates and other kitchen utensils that have been left out. She closes the dishwasher door after pressing a few buttons and leans against the counter, looking exhausted.

"God, Jethro, what are we doing?"  She asks as she looks at him, he frowns in confusion. "I don't know what you mean, Jen." He says to her as he starts making some hot chocolate of their own. Jen sighs as she moves away from the counter.

"I know I said no to off the job but I'm seriously considering rescinding that rule." His former partner says, causing him to turn around and stare at her.

"W...why are you rescinding?" He asks her as the kettle whistles. Only Jen can make him stumble over his words like that. He pours the water into the two cups, over the hot chocolate powder before adding milk and mixing it all together before adding whipped cream and marshmallows into Jen's  and handing it to her. She takes it with a smile before putting it down on the island, she's smirking at him.

"I'm rescinding because over these last three years of being back in your life, as your boss, have brought back up all my buried feelings for you. I've never stopped loving you, Jethro, those past 6 years I was away from you, I buried my love for you, but now it's overwhelming me and I can't ignore it any longer." Jen explains as she looks at him and picks up her chocolate beverage, taking a sip of it.

He's holding his cup tightly in his hands, unable to form a sentence. He doesn't know what to say in respect to Jen's revelation of her still loving him. Contrary to what she believes, he loves this redhead woman in front of him, even if he's never said the words out loud to her but he'd given her a chance for another go at their relationship and she'd said no.

"Why now? Why are you telling me this now, tonight? You've had plenty of chances to tell me this over the last three years but you're choosing to tell me tonight, why?" He demands as he puts down his drink on the island with a quiet thud as not to wake Carson up. Something must be going through her head, worrying her, scaring her, if she's telling her this particular revelation tonight. Jen places her untouched drink beside his and folds her arms over her chest, a frown on her face.

"Because I'm sick of looking at you and remembering what we had in Paris, London, Serbia, Positano, and everywhere else we went together and remembering how I destroyed it, how I broke it, how I left!" She exclaims quietly, she wanted to shout at him but she refrained because of the nine year old boy currently occupying her guest bedroom.