NCIS Short Stories

My Heart

Gibbs POV

What am I doing? I'm sitting on the floor of my basement, broken. I have pictures in my hand, pictures of better times. They were the times when I had Shannon and Kelly. The times when I was happy and not mad at the world.  And now as I sit here, obviously late for work, I think to myself, would they have been happy where I am now?

Maybe. So why do I think they wouldn't be? All kinds of situations run through my head. If I would have stayed in the Marine Core, and I would have been killed, what would have happened? What would they be doing right now if Shannon hadn't seen the drug deal? They would be happy, at home and safe. And Kelly would have no father.

Stop it. What is making me think about this?

"Pathetic Marine!" Small chants of my old CO come to mine. I was new in the core, and they took advantage of that.

"Move it! Pathetic Marine, keep going!" I hear old conversations. Scolding's from Gunny's, CO's, and...and dad. The yells and the fights and the days after mom died...and the occasional beatings. He stopped after I hit a breaking point, and it almost broke him. I think of the times where I was to weak to fight back, and tears stream down my face. I try to stop them, but I can't. And then I hear my door open.

"Gibbs?" Abby. I can't get up in time before she comes to the basement stairs, "Are you ok?" She runs down the stairs and I get up. She sees me wipe away a stray tear.

"Fine, Abs," I lie, "Just drank a little to much last night."

"Don't lie to me, Gibbs," she states sternly, "Where you..." she trails off, scared to say the word.

I hesitate before answering, "Yea." I say nothing else.

"Why?"

"No-" I stop when she gives me the impressions I have seen her do of me, "Old memories. That's it."

"You were sitting on the floor because of old memories?" Her voice is full of disbelief, "You were thinking of them weren't you," she asks. I nod. She drops her bag and gives me her best attempt of a bear hug. I give it back.

"Under the bench," I say. What am I doing? No one knows about the box.

She walks to the bench and pulls the little lunch box I found in the garden.

"What is it," she asks.

"Kelly's time capsule," I laugh, "She put it under the bushes when I left." She smiles.

"What's in it?"

"Open it. I never did."

"You sure?" I nod. She opens it up and I see old pictures. Then I see the little jar of sand from the beach we went to, "Wow. Is this you?" She points to a picture with Kelly and me in it. We're sitting in the back yard playing with a stray cat that came into our yard. I smile at Abby's reaction when I say yes.

"She named him Jack," I say, "He ran away before I could buy a tag for him."

"Awe," Abby smiles.

"I need to go get ready, Abby," I say.

"No need," she says, "They closed the building because of an issue with the system. Fire alarms and scanners are going crazy."

"Good," I say, "Then I'm going to go sleep," I come and kiss her on the forehead, "I'll call you later, ok Abs?"

"Bye Gibbs." She leaves and I grab the box one more time. Under one of the jars I see a small piece of paper with a note on it.

Love you baby. Daddy will be back soon!

I remember the day I wrote it. It was the last time I saw them, when I went to Kuwait.

"I miss you guys," I say to myself. I close the box and go upstairs to our old bedroom and lay on the bed.

"Goodnight," a voice that strangely sounds familiar says. I fall asleep.