He was in his basement when she finally came home two evenings later.

Sitting in front of a large piece of wood.

"I'm home," she said, as she wound her arms around his waist and settled her chin on his shoulder.

"Hey ..." he replied.

Pulling her round onto his lap and nuzzling her neck.

Inhaling her scent.

Almost unsure what to do with himself now that she was finally in his arms.

"What's this?" she asked, running her fingers over the wood.

He paused for a moment.

"Jethro?"

"We'll talk about it later," he said.

Pulling her with him as he stood up and headed up the stairs.

He chose not to watch her undress, but to do it himself. Because he wanted an immediate connection to her – and he knew of no better way than to expose his hands to her skin as it appeared bit by bit.

Palms, flat on her shoulders, ran down her arms till they meet her hands. He was gentle but in control; a combination he knew she enjoyed from time to time.

Their fingertips melded for the moment it took to raise her arms above her head, but it was his hands, sliding down her side and tracing the swell of her breasts, which drew forth the first utterance. Her nipples hardened in anticipation, despite the fact that he came nowhere near touching them. Fingers slipped beneath her blouse; the fabric bunching up against his knuckles as he dragged his hands up her back.

The silence, as he pulled the article of clothing over her head, was not quite reverential, but spoke volumes nonetheless.

He leaned in close. Kissed her on the mouth as he reached behind her.

The tiny moan of anticipation sent shock waves through his system.

Her bra came undone in one fluid snap of his fingers, and he watched her face as he ran his hand across her back and slid the straps off her shoulders.

He stared for a heartbeat - the sight of unfettered breasts distracting him for just a moment – and then maneuvered her slowly back onto the bed.

His strong hands travelled across her stomach to the waistband of her pants. Undoing the button and lowering the zipper. Enjoying the way her body arched for him as he sent his fingers sliding along the inside. Rounding her buttocks and grazing her hips as he pulled the pants down past them.

She didn't notice till he got to his feet that she'd also been divested of the scrap of silk she'd been wearing.

He stood there staring.

His eyes sweeping her body so intensely that he might as well have been touching her.

Jen propped herself up on her elbows and pulled her right knee in as she looked appraisingly at him.

When she finally spoke, her voice was low and sultry.

"Planning on joining me any time soon, Jethro?"

His answer was simply to shuck off his clothes and crawl onto the bed next to her.

Holding her tight to his body as he breathed strong emotion into her hair.

An hour or so later, he lay naked on the bed; his head raised by two pillows.

Reluctant to move.

Just wanting to see Jen as she came out fresh from the shower.

A crooked smile played across his lips as she walked towards him, shaking her head to free her hair of any remaining droplets.

"Don't move, Jethro," she said as she dropped her towel on a nearby chair.

"Wasn't planning to."

"Good. You can shower later."

She lay beside him. Rolling onto her side, and putting her leg over his as she placed her head on his shoulder.

"Guess I'd better not be gone so long next time, huh?" she said as she pressed a small kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"You're here now." He adjusted his arm beneath her neck and pulled her closer as his leg pressed gently against her groin.

Jen tightened her legs slightly.

Her hand resting on his stomach as she kissed his chest gently.

"So, what's the story with the wood?" she asked with a suppressed yawn after a few moments of silence.

Jethro hesitated for a moment before saying, "the clinic called yesterday morning." Tightening his hold on her before adding, "we have three viable eggs."

It took her a few moments to wrap her head around the emotion of it all.

"You know that there are no guarantees it will take, right?" she asked slowly.

"It'll take," he said, turning her face towards his and placing a kiss on her mouth. "When you're ready, it'll take."

Jen smiled and pressed her body closer to his.

Feeling tiredness creep up on her now that there were no more pretenses to uphold.

"Thank you for leaving the light on, Jethro," she said, melting into his embrace all over again.

"Never turned it off."

Author's Note:

Okay, so I cheated a little. Took a oneshot I had already written, tweaked it some, and inserted it. It seemed like a good fit, and I didn't feel it was necessary to include anything overly graphic. This was a story about having to make impossible decisions – not knowing if you'll come out the other end - and the fallout that comes with making those decisions. A story about the journey, not the destination. It's been more about intense emotions and things unspoken than anything else.

That's it for this one. I hope the Jibbs moments have been enough.

Thanks again to everyone who reviewed and sent messages and such.