The door clicks shut and footsteps sound softly on the dark wood of the porch. The man looks out over the snow covered ground with piercing blue eyes. They scan over the gently creaking trees with their branches laden with snow; the only sound but a whisper of wind in the clear night. His breath puffs out white before he inhales deeply of the cold air. He walks to the railing and leans on it. His hands are wrapped around a hot cup of coffee that wisps of steam are curling upward from. His slightly long hair showing white in the moonlight blows gently with the wind. He tilts his head to listen to the call of a lone wolf as it sings its mournful song. The sound echoes within his heart as he remembers a bittersweet memory. He looks out on the white world seeing a different time, a different snow covered place. Laughter fills his mind as a younger he chases after his wife and daughter with snowball in hand. The laughter fades from his mind as he comes back to the present. He always has memories surface at this time of year. He listens to the hushed world around him and drinks his coffee. He straightens from the railing on the porch and walks back inside.
The aroma of fresh cut pine fills the room and he glances at the Christmas tree with its tiny lights glowing. The fond memory of he and his Dad decorating the tree night before last makes a smile come to his face. He goes down the hall and opens a door silently to peek in at his Dad sleeping peacefully; he'll wake him a little later. He closes the door and goes back to the kitchen for a refill on his coffee. It had taken a lot from him to go to the attic and find the box of special ornaments he had kept of his lost family. He breathed deep as those memories filled him of Christmas' gone by and he knew Shannon would be glad to know he had used them to decorate the tree this year instead of them lying in a box hidden so he wouldn't have to face the sadness. Being alone for the better part of this year had given him the time he had needed to realize they would always be in his heart and he didn't have to hold on to them so tightly.
Holly had helped. He shook his head and smiled ruefully. Holly Snow. She had become a close friend to him. She had visited him on several occasions, bringing laughter with her and news of the outside world. She always brought a bag of groceries with her, including beer of course. She always wanted to know what he had been doing and wanted to inspect the new parts of the house. He would take her around and show her what had been built or put in since her last visit. She would listen intently and sometimes give him a suggestion or two. After the roof had been completed, she would stay a night or two and cook him some good meals before taking off again promising she would return and kissing his cheek as she whisked back out the door.
His mind traveled back to his father and his helping him decorate the tree. He looked at the tree again and his heart swelled with love as he thought of how close they had grown. His father had weakened a lot in the last two years; leaning more heavily on his cane and walking at a much slower rate than he used to. Jackson's eyes had become weak and had lost some of the life in them. He often found his father staring out the window with a far off look in his eyes. But those eyes had gotten the old twinkle back in them when they had taken toys to a nearby town and given them to places that needed them for children who didn't have much. Again, his mind went to another wistful memory. The ten speed bike he had kept because he could not let go. He had cleaned up the pink bicycle and put new tires on her and took it with them. The smile on the woman's face when he handed it to her; he knew Shannon was smiling knowing the bike had a good home with a child.
He pours another cup of strong coffee, starts a fresh pot, and walks back out on the porch. He goes down the steps sipping from his cup. His boots make soft crunching noises as he walks across the powdery ground. The red flannel shirt and faded blue jeans show starkly against the white with the moonlight reflecting off the snow. He stops under the shadow of a tree and looks back at the house.
Pride fills him as he examines the home he built from the ground up. It has been a year since he retired and moved up here. It had taken him almost that long to finish her. He had felt his wife's presence and approval in building her. He had kept in mind many of the plans they had made about building a home of their own when they could. He also had made adjustments as to what he wanted. He had put several guest bedrooms to make his adopted family feel at home when they came to visit. He smiled as he thought of Dinozzo. He took a sip of his warm coffee as he remembered the day he retired. Dinozzo was solemn as he handed over his badge making Tony the team leader. Dinozzo had swallowed hard as he told him how proud he was of him. And he was. Tony had come and helped him on more than one weekend building the house. Tony called often for advice and just to talk. He sobered as he remembered Tony at his Dad's funeral three years ago.
He came back to himself and his eyes fell to the warm glow coming from his living room. His unorthodox family had not come much. Duck had come twice and called often during the past year. Tony was the only one he had seen several times and that was because the younger man had come to help him with some of the tougher labor. He smiled as he remembered Tony insisting on carrying the heavier lumber. He had been touched by Tony's concern. Mike had come once and promised to come again with his family when the house was finished. Ziva called frequently to check up on him but had not seen the home yet. He had seen all of them when he had to go help out with two cases Tony had called him in for. He had an inkling Leon had told Tony to call him so he wouldn't feel out of the action so much. Ziva called him frequently. Abby even more so. He loved to hear both their voices. He couldn't wait to see them, each holding a special place in his heart. McGee had called him a few times. All of them were coming this night to see his home and celebrate with him.
The night became suddenly very still. The silent night was broken by no sound. Soft, large snow flakes started falling slowly. Inside of him, his heart slowed and warmth spread through him. He looked up at the stars winking starkly against the midnight blanket of clear sky. A streak of light blazed slowly across the sky before disappearing into the dark night and he became still. He slowly let the breath out he hadn't realized he was holding. He smiled. He took a sip of his cooling coffee. And that warmth, called peace, spread throughout his entirety. He breathed in the crisp air and took it deep within him before slowly letting it out. He walked slowly back up the steps. He leaned on the rail again sipping his coffee. He saw the first beams of headlights coming up the drive. The first members of his family had arrived home.
Home.
He smiled.
Thank you so much for the reviews and feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to send me messages with critiques or compliments. This is my first Fanfic and Gibbs is my very favorite character of all time.