Author: MoiraShipper
Summary: Six photos of six women showed who came and left from Gibbs's life. Six of them visited him that Saturday, but only one stayed.
Taenia memoriae
Chapter 1-Cor destructum¹
Cause when a heart breaks
no it don't break even
Breakeven-The Script
Gibbs sat in his basement on a Saturday, but that morning he wasn't willing to work on his boat. Instead, he went to his desk that was there and opened the bottom drawer, pulling out a worn envelope with some stains. He sat on the wooden bench, sighing and running a hand through his gray hair, as he poured the contents of the envelope on the table.
There were six photos attached by a rubber band, each showing six different women who'd passed through his life. Behind every picture there was a description of the moment written by him. Gibbs took the first photo, with an expression of longing.
The picture showed a beach behind, where was Gibbs, two decades younger, with his hair brown and wearing shorts and T-shirt with a smiling redhead with straight hair and light blue eyes with a face full of freckles and a gentle smile, wearing a yellow bikini and a sarong. Both were pictured in profile, leaning their foreheads together and staring at each other, while Gibbs had both arms around her waist and she had her hands cupping his face.
The current Gibbs turned the photo and read what he had written on its back:
Today my wife, who now takes my last name, Shannon Gibbs, received the best of the news: she is expecting our first child. We just moved to Washington, but we are taking a few days off at a beach near here. She had gone to the doctor without my knowledge, after days of sickness and dizziness and when we went to the beach in the afternoon, I was lying on the sand as she laid on my chest, her floral scent invading me and I wrapped my arms around her body, squeezing her against me while she was drawing circles with her finger gently on my chest, getting my attention. I touched her face gently, turning her to me and our eyes met. Shannon's eyes shone.
"Shannon, what happened?"
She smiled, letting a tear fall.
"Leroy, I'm pregnant."
"Shannon, I..."
I stared at her, shocked and when I realized what it meant, so I smiled, my heart warm, because I was going to be father of a child with the amazing woman who stood beside me, and I took her with me, holding her waist as I kissed her. It was a small, but passionate kiss and when we parted, she brought her hands to my face and I leaned my forehead into hers saying:
"I love you Shannon, you and this child."
"I love you Leroy."
The current Gibbs felt his eyes sting and he lowered his picture, burying his head on his hands, feeling a lump in his throat at the thought of her and their daughter's death. Shannon and Kelly. Without realizing it, he had fallen asleep.
"Leroy?"
Gibbs looked ahead and saw Shannon smiling sweetly at him. Gibbs frowned in disbelief:
"Shannon? But you are dead..." He said, feeling his heart hurt, as he approached her.
"I know."
Gibbs wrapped his arms around her and then for the first time in a long time, he felt a tear fell from his eyes, but he didn't care, burying his face in her hair and letting more tears fall, while Shannon stroked his head lovingly.
"There is so much I wanted to tell you... I love you so much." He said with a failed voice.
Shannon then pulled away slightly and looked deep into his eyes, with a sad look:
"Leroy, I love you. But you can't be stuck to me. I need you to move along for me and Kelly. And be happy, ok?"
"Shannon, I..." Gibbs began, in a mixture of warning and despair, but she shook her head, silencing him with one finger and her eyes was as bright as his.
"Got it?"
"Yes. I got it." Gibbs replied resentfully.
Shannon then gave him a kiss on the lips.
Gibbs woke up and realized he had slept only for half an hour and felt a trail of tears on his face. He wiped his face with his sleeve, his heart hurt and broken, remembering about the Shannon of his dream, as he kissed the picture and put it aside and took the second photo.
TBC
¹Destroyed Heart.