The First Redhead
Author's Note: I am off all next week, which means that I will be able to work more on writing! Thank you all for your comments! I hope this chapter is just as good. Please let me know what you think. Enjoy
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or Major Crimes or any of the ideas and characters associated with either show.
Learning to Build a Boat
As they were driving, Sharon realized that neither she nor Rusty had any clothes to wear. They would have to stop by the condo on their way to Gibbs' house. She turned to him and couldn't help but smile. He looked just like he did all those years ago, driving home after one of their late night dates. This time they were in his car and not his dad's old truck.
"Jethro?" she hummed and lightly grabbed his hand.
He turned his head and smiled at her, waiting for her to say what she needed to say.
"We need to stop by my condo to get some clothes for tonight and tomorrow," she saw his expression harden at the suggestion of going to her condo.
"I've got some old clothes that will get you both through tonight," he said without taking his eyes off the road.
"Jethro, he's gone. It's fine," Sharon insisted.
"We'll go in the morning, Sharon," Gibbs said as he pulled into the driveway of his house, "I', not going to take any chances with you and Rusty. I don't know who this guy is and I am not going to do anything until I have a handle on the situation."
Sharon just nodded and thought back to the impulsive young man that used to get into fights without a second thought. He had definitely matured and grown, and she could not believe that they never reconnected after living here for so long. He put the car in park and got out before she could even get her seat belt off. He was instantly on her side of the car, opening both her and Rusty's doors. He offered her his hand, which she took, before leading them towards the front door and into the house.
"You leave the front door unlocked?" Rusty asked as they walked into the living room, "Aren't you afraid of somebody like breaking in or coming after you?"
"They probably know that if they walked in, they wouldn't be walking out," Gibbs smirked.
Sharon looked around the quiet home and could see him everywhere. It was simple and very minimal, but it worked. She had lived like this for a while right after Ricky left for college, and it suited her for some time before she bought the condo. She was caught off guard by his hands on her shoulders as he helped her remove her jacket, before he placed it on a coat rack in the corner.
"I'll show you both around so you don't have to stand awkwardly in my living room," he joked and watched as Sharon blushed and Rusty just shrugged his shoulders.
He took them upstairs first and pointed to the bathroom before coming to a halt outside a bedroom door. When he opened it, Sharon could tell that nobody had stayed in there for a while, but it was kept clean and fresh.
"Rusty, you can stay in here, and you'll be right across from the bathroom," Gibbs said before turning around and leading them back into the hallway.
They headed for the very last door on the right, and Gibbs opened the door to let Sharon in. It was a little bigger than her master bedroom in the condo, and the closet was a lot smaller, but it was cozy. There were a few pieces of furniture and the bed was a king size with a simplistic comforter and pillow set. The thing was it looked as if nobody had slept in here in a while either.
"You can have this room, Sharon," he smiled at her.
She nodded before she realized that she did not see any other doors while they were walking around, "Where are you going to sleep? Are these the only bedrooms?"
"If I sleep tonight, I'll probably end up on the couch," he said casually.
Sharon decided to bring up the 'if' and the issue of the couch later when Rusty was busy or asleep. She set her purse on the bed as Gibbs walked over to a door on the back wall.
"There is a small bathroom right here," he opened the door, "and I am pretty sure that there are some extra toothbrushes under either this sink or the one in the hall bathroom."
"Thank you, Jethro," she smiled softly as he moved around the room, pulling open drawers and closet doors.
When he was done rummaging around, he turned first to Rusty, "Here are some old pajama bottoms and an old t-shirt you can borrow. If anything doesn't fit or you don't feel comfortable in something, let me know."
"These will be perfect, thank you," Rusty took the clothes and walked out into the hallway.
Gibbs then turned to her, "I didn't keep much of Shannon's clothes, and what I did keep wouldn't be comfortable to sleep in," he handed her an old NIS t-shirt and some sweatpants, "I also have a long sleeve t-shirt if you need it. I know you used to get cold at night, but the comforter is pretty heavy."
"I'm sure these will be just fine, Jethro," she stepped forward and placed her free hand on his chest, "So what did you say about 'if' you were able to sleep?"
Smirking before turning his head to the side, he chuckled, "With our jobs, you know it can be hard to turn off your brain, even if the rest of you is about ready to shut down."
"That's usually when I pull out a glass of wine and soak in a hot bath," Sharon rolled her eyes, "What's your glass of wine, Jethro?"
Instead of answering, he walked out of the bedroom before stopping in the hallway, "When you and Rusty are done getting changed, I'll show you the rest of the house."
Sharon let him shut the door behind him before she quickly got changed into the comfortable clothes he had given her. The NIS shirt smelled just like him and she couldn't help but think about all of the nights they had spent curled up in the bed of his father's pick-up watching movies at the drive-in. When she would get cold, he would hand her his sweater and then pull her close and cover her in a blanket as well.
By the time she was down, Rusty was already downstairs looking for Gibbs, "Did he really just leave us?"
Sharon laughed before joining him in the living room, "He is probably getting ready for bed as well."
And sure enough, Gibbs came into the living room wearing a Marine Corps sweater and jeans.
"I don't have much in my kitchen, so how do you two feel about take-out?" he asked, already pulling out his phone.
"Sounds good to me," Rusty smiled.
"Just as long as it is not another burger," she said as her nose wrinkled.
"Do you still like Tai food?" Gibbs asked her as he walked into the kitchen and rummaged through a few drawers before finding what he was looking for.
"I do, and Rusty happens to like it almost as much as burgers," she smiled.
"I could never love anything more than burgers, Sharon," Rusty teased, "It's just not possible."
Nodding, Gibbs handed them the menu that he had retrieved from the drawer, "This place has some of the best Tai food I've ever had. I think you will both like it."
After each of them had placed their order, it took a little over a half hour for the food to arrive and for Gibbs and Sharon to argue over who was paying. Sharon had barely gotten her wallet out before Gibbs had paid the guy and ushered him out the door.
"Why did you do that?" she said, a bit annoyed, "You have already offered us a place to stay and clothes. You should not be paying as well."
"It's already done, Sharon," Gibbs replied as he handed food to Rusty, who dished it out for everyone.
"You were always a pain when it came to paying for things," she huffed and decided to sit down.
Gibbs just tipped his head to the side and placed their silver wear in front of them. Once everyone was sitting down and had begun eating, Rusty looked between the two adults who seemed extremely comfortable in each other's company.
"So," he broke the silence, "how exactly do you two know each other?"
Gibbs looked at Sharon while he continued to eat. This was her son and therefore her decision to tell him.
"Jethro and I went to high school together," she answered while trying to hide the sudden blush that was fighting its way across her cheeks, "We actually…um, we were…together."
Gibbs was trying hard not to laugh at the embarrassed mess that was Sharon. She had always been shy when it came to dating and her personal life. Although there were a few occasions where she stood up for their relationship, she still liked to keep it private. Watching as she told her teenaged son about their past was more amusing than he could have ever imagined. The fact that Rusty seemed to be enjoying this little piece of information more than he was, didn't help him hide the amusement either.
"You can say that the two of you dated, Sharon," Rusty laughed, "How long were the two of you a couple."
"Junior and Senior year of high school," Gibbs answered.
"Was she as strict back then as she is now?" Rusty asked before a mischievous smile crossed his face, "Or was she a wild and rebellious teenager?"
That earned his a smile from Gibbs and a gasp from Sharon, "Rusty!"
"Well, she did like the rules," Gibbs started, "But there are definitely quite a few times where she was not the perfect little girl."
"You know that's an exaggeration, Jethro," she threw her napkin at her.
"What about junior year at Marcus Smith's party? Or that night at the camp grounds 20 minutes from town? Or that time we were caught in the back of the pick-up-"
Sharon pointed her fork at him, "If you finish that sentence, they will never find the body," she threatened.
"As much as embarrassing Sharon delights me, I don't think I want you to finish that sentence either," Rusty shuddered.
"Serves you right," Sharon laughed.
They cleared the table quickly when they were done, and Gibbs dipped into the freezer to pull out some ice cream for Rusty and Sharon.
"You keep ice cream in your freezer?" Sharon smiled at the strange thought of the tough Leroy Jethro Gibbs keeping ice cream in his freezer for after difficult cases.
"I had a kid staying with me for a while back during a case and he never finished them," Gibbs shrugged before heading towards the basement, "Are you any good at word working, Rusty?" he called over his shoulder from the doorway leading to the basement.
Rusty looked to Sharon, who was just as confused as he was, and they both decided to follow him. As they crossed the threshold of the room, the first thing they both noticed was the smell of wood. The second thing they noticed was the very beginnings of a boat. The ribs were exposed and it looked like some of the siding was in place.
"He wasn't kidding," Rusty mumbled.
"Who wasn't kidding?" Sharon startled him from his thoughts.
"One of the guys from Agent Gibbs' team," Rusty explained, "He wanted to know how Gibbs gets the boats out, and I thought he was crazy. Apparently not."
"This is my glass of wine, Sharon," Gibbs called to the two of them still frozen in wonder on the stairs.
"That's a pretty big glass of wine, Agent Gibbs," Rusty said.
"You can just call me Gibbs, if you want to Rusty," he said before pulling out his sander and saw, "Do you want to learn how to put the siding on a boat?"
"Sure," Rusty said with excitement in his voice.
Sharon smiled as she watched him hurry down the steps and meet Gibbs at the boat. Gibbs showed him how to measure and cut and the bend the wood to lay flat against the ribs of the boat. By the time they had put a good portion of the siding on, Rusty looked exhausted.
"Do you think I could help you again sometime, Gibbs?" he asked as he started to walk up the stairs to the rest of the house.
"Whenever you want to help, just let me know," Gibbs nodded and watched him smile before he said a quiet goodnight and was gone.
"Thank you for letting him help you," Sharon whispered as she ran her hands across the boat.
"He's a good kid, Sharon," he said simply, handing her a sander, "Do you want to try your hand at building a boat?"
A girlish grin took over her face and all she could do was nod. He turned her around to face the boat and walked up behind her, bringing his hands to his and guiding their hand to the side of the boat. His arms were wrapped around her as he slowly began sanding down the side of the boat with her.
"Just remember to go with the grain," he whispered into her ear.
They continued to work on the boat together, but after a while Gibbs could tell that something was on her mind.
"What's wrong, Sharon?" he pulled away so that she could face him.
She hesitated for a minute, "Would you have stayed?" she waited for him to respond, but when he didn't, she continued, "If I had stayed in Stillwater, you have as well? Would that have made everything better? Would we have ended it like we did?"
Gibbs knew exactly what she was talking about, and he could remember it like it was yesterday.
3 Days Before Graduation
Sharon ran into Jethro's arms as he swung her around, "I can't believe they took me! I'm going to California!" she giggled loudly.
"They would be stupid not to take you," Jethro kissed her before gently placing her back on the ground.
"Hmmm," she smiled up at him, "What do you say we go out tonight?"
Jethro looked away from her before looking down at the ground, "I don't think that's a good idea."
Sharon pulled away confused and hurt, "What do you mean?"
"Sharon," he sighed, "I have to tell you something."
He lead her over to a bench near-by and had her sit down next to him before he started, "I know that we talked about me maybe coming out to California in a bit, but I can't."
"I thought you wanted to come with me?" she said, already fighting back tears.
He knew this wasn't going to be easy, but it had to be said, "I enlisted in the Marine Corps."
"You WHAT?!" she jumped up from the bench.
"I enlisted, and I leave the day of graduation," he said solemnly.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" she screamed, "Why didn't you say you were thinking about this?"
"I thought you would be proud of me for doing something like this," Jethro groaned back as he too stood up.
"You don't get it do you, Jethro?" she cried, "I'm not upset with you enlisting, and I am proud of you, but that's not the problem…The problem is that this is the first time I am even hearing about this. You never once brought it up and said that you were thinking about this. You tell me after the fact as if I mean absolutely nothing to you. Am I really worth so little in your eyes?"
Jethro was about to say something to comfort her, but her father's words came back to his mind, "You're off to California, so what do you care? You can go run off with some other guy and leave my life the hell alone!" he blurted out.
As he said those words, he saw the pain and sadness they caused in her eyes. As much as he wanted to reach out and tell her everything and how he really felt, he couldn't get her father's voice out of his head.
Tears streaming down her face, Sharon looked him in the eye, "I can't believe you did this, Jethro. Out of everybody in my life that I thought I could count on, you were my number one. I lo-" she cut herself off before she could finish and shook her head, "You don't deserve to know how I felt about you. Goodbye, Jethro."
She was gone before she could see him shed a tear, but maybe it was for the best.
Present
"Staying wasn't an option for me," he said as he caressed her cheek.
"My father told me what he said to you all those years ago," she took his hand in hers, "He told me one night after Jack had abandoned us again. He said that maybe if he had held his tongue, things would have turned out differently."
Shaking his head, Gibbs pulled her close to him, "He was just trying to protect his little girl."
She wound her hands behind his neck and pulled his face down towards hers, "I can take care of myself."
She then lightly pressed her lips to his, and the passion from years ago was reignited. They were each fighting each other to deepen the kiss even further, and when they finally ran out of air and broke apart, they were panting heavily. She rested her forehead on his chest and just listened as his rapidly beating heart attempted to go back to normal.
"Even better than I remember," he laughed, only to be swatted on the chest by her.
"I missed you, Jethro," she breathed.
"I missed you too, Sharon," he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
They would have somethings to work through after they solved this case, but right now, they were too busy relearning the feeling of being with each other.
TBC…