One box.
Everything that had belonged to them was now condensed to one box. There were a few other things scattered around the house; the old mixing bowl Shannon used weekly for cookies was in the back of the cabinet, a few of Kelly's little toys down in the basement under a layer of sawdust. But now, their entire lives were condensed to one box.
Gibbs never thought he'd make it to this point, figuring that whoever ended up with the duty of emptying his house once he was dead, would donate all their stuff together.
But over the last few years it became more and more clear that Abby would be the one to go through his things, and one day he woke up and decided that it wasn't fair. Unlike his other wives and girlfriends, Abby never pressured him to get rid of anything pertaining to Shannon and Kelly. She loved him and his home the way it was. But as their relationship became more and more serious, Gibbs felt guilty that Abby might one day have to go through the stuff he was holding on to.
It ended up being easier than expected. Half of the items he had packed away over twenty years ago, he didn't even remember.
The clothes were old and smelled musty.
The toys were just toys until he spotted her favorite G.I. Joe doll – one that she had named after him. Pulling the toy from the pile, he placed it in a new box and carried the other box to the hall.
The next box was a box of books. A few of the stories he remembered, some of her favorites that he'd read to her over and over again. He labelled the box, and it too went to the hallway.
There were old linens, but with Abby regularly spending the night, he didn't feel comfortable putting them back on his bed.
He pulled out an old quilt. The stitching wasn't great, and the colors a little off, but it had taken Shannon three years to pull together the blanket. He hadn't even seen it completed until the first time he packed up her belongings. He carried it to the wash and put it on a gentle cycle, unable to part with it.
Joann had packed up most of the old family heirlooms after the funeral, so the rest of the items were things she had picked up in the last few years of life. Most of the jewelry wasn't worth anything, and the box she kept it in had been picked up at a second hand store – he hadn't had the time to make her the jewelry box she had requested.
It took nearly a full day, but soon the room was empty. He ran the vacuum, dusted the shelves and dresser and rotated the mattress. He cleaned the window and ran the curtains through the wash.
The few things he wanted to keep, he re-packed into a new box and wrapped a garbage bag around it all to keep it from getting dusty inside. He labeled it, strapped it shut with packing tape and put it up on the shelf inside the empty closet. He still needed to tackle the attic, but most of those things were projects half built, some old Christmas things, and stuff that belonged to his mother. He brought a few bags to the trash and loaded a couple boxes for donation.
The box of books he would bring to NCIS. They had a small storage room where they kept a few things for any kids that might be brought in for whatever reason.
When he pulled up back at home, it was to see Abby headed up the front step. "Hey you," she waited by the door.
"Hi," he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a warm kiss.
Abby sneezed and pulled back. "Your…" she sneezed again, "so dusty…"
Gibbs laughed and opened the front door nudging her in ahead of him. "Sorry, I'll take a shower real quick."
"Why are you dusty? That's not saw dust either, that's…" she froze as she warded off another sneeze.
"Start the coffee? I'll be quick." He turned and headed up the stairs. He was scrubbing a towel over his head when he heard a small gasp outside. Tying the towel around his waist he opened the door. "Abby…"
"What… what'd you do to Kelly's room?"
The room had belonged to his daughter, but his first wife had painted over the pale pink walls to surprise him. It hadn't gone over well. Ever since then, it had been used as storage, eventually the bed he shared with Shannon moving in as well. "I…" it wasn't quite how he'd wanted to ask.
"I was kinda hoping that we could maybe move you in here, more permanently and..." he ran a hand through his hair and squeezed the back of his own neck. "And when I thought about it, I realized that maybe I was ready to be rid of some of the stuff in there and… and if you say yes, I don't want you moving into their house, want it to be ours."
"Gibbs, I'm speechless," Abby turned back to look at the room. "I mean, I… I hope you didn't think I would say no because you've kept this room and their stuff…"
Gibbs shrugged.
"Gibbs…"
"Maybe I'm ready to remember instead of dwell." He stepped past her into the room and went to the closet. "I couldn't quite get rid of everything," he pointed to the box and then picked up the folded quilt he'd washed and set on the empty dress.
"It's beautiful," Abby said, running a hand over the soft fabric. "You should have it out, on the couch maybe, if you want."
"You wouldn't mind?"
"Why would I mind?" The simplicity of her question put him at ease. "Looks perfect for curling up on the couch to watch a movie."
"Yeah," Gibbs agreed.
"Were you really worried that I'd say no because of everything that was in here?"
"Still haven't said yes," he reminded her.
"You're sure it's what you want? I would love to go to sleep next to you every night and wake up beside you every morning."
"I'm sure." It had taken years for him to gain the courage to move beyond a simple friendship with her. But now that they had taken that step, Gibbs was determined to make sure their relationship lasted. He didn't know if he would ever be able to put a ring on her finger, so asking her to move in was his big show of commitment. He wasn't scared of what other people thought of them anymore, didn't care who knew that he loved her. "More than sure."
Abby nodded and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Coffee is ready."
Despite feeling good about his decision to clean up, Gibbs needed a little time in the basement to settle his mind after dinner. They cooked and then cleaned up together before he headed downstairs. Duringdinner they talked about taking the next weekend to start moving some of the smaller things in, and then deciding what furniture to move over.
He was only in the basement for an hour or so, mostly just tidying up. He knew he would need to make a bit of an effort to not fall into his old habit of spending the evenings in the basement alone. Abby already spent a fair amount of time as his place, but now that it would be full-time, he couldn't expect her to busy herself upstairs alone. Glancing around the basement, he wondered how she would feel about making her a space in the basement as well. It was too dusty for her laptop, but a place for her to read and drink coffee.
He had some plans for some new furniture and they could talk about their days while he worked and she read. Flicking off the light, he headed up stairs to talk to her about it.
She was engrossed in a book when he found her curled up on the couch, Shannon's quilt draped over her legs. He wasn't sure how long he stood there watching her before she noticed him. "It's okay, isn't it?"
"Hmm?"
"That I'm using this?" She pointed to the quilt on her lap. You said you'd be okay with it on the couch. I got a little chilled and… I can always get a different one-" She started to pull the blanket back to get up, but Gibbs stopped her.
"You're fine. Shannon would be glad to see it getting used. She finished it shortly before she died. Took her forever to make it. I didn't see it completed until I came home for their funeral."
"Maybe I should use a different one."
"No," Gibbs stopped her and then sat beside her, bringing it up over his legs as well. "We can share. Want to watch a movie?"
Abby stared at him a moment. "You know, all this domesticity… are you okay? Should we go to the doctor? Maybe you're pregnant."
Gibbs snorted and slapped the back of her head. "Next time…"
Abby leaned into him and wrapped an arm around him. "Just give me some warning and I'll flip my skirt up."
The End.
