Shannon could hardly believe what she was seeing. She didn't think there was anything that could shock her anyway, but finding the husband she thought was dead for twenty years sitting in her living room was too shocking for words.

Gibbs stood up from the couch and slowly made his way over to his wife. "Shannon."

Shannon hesitantly raised shaking hand and touched his cheek. "Jethro?"

Gibbs too her hand and kissed it gently. "It's me, baby."

Shannon stared at him for a minute and then launched herself into his arms. "Oh my God. I can't believe you're really here. I thought I'd lost you."

Gibbs held her tightly and smiled like he never had before. This was literally the happiest day of his life. He had his wife and daughter back in his life, the one thing he always wanted, but never thought would happen. It was a dream come true, literally.

Shannon pulled away after a minute. "I don't understand. You died."

Gibbs shook his head. "No. Your mother lied. I didn't die in the war. I felt like I was dead inside though. Shannon, you spent the last twenty years believing I was dead and I spent the same amount of time believing you were. I was told that you and Kelly were killed in that car accident with your NIS detail."

Shannon shook her head vigorously. "No. We were never in that car. We were supposed to be, but at the last minute, my mother had hired Nick to take over protection. There was no need for us to be with the agent anymore. Oh my God! After that accident, Nick came up with the plan to fake our deaths and move us. He said he was going to make it look like we were in that accident and then he would move us. By then I thought you were dead. Oh My God, I'm so sorry." She felt so guilty. She'd agreed to that course of action and inadvertently allowed her husband to think she and their daughter were dead.

"Shh, it's not your fault. You didn't know. Everything's okay now. We're together and no one will ever keep us apart again," Gibbs said before leaning forward and gently kissing her on the lips.

Meanwhile, Kelly went over to her own husband, took his hand and leaned into his side. She too was deliriously happy. Not only did she have her husband back in her life, but she also had her father back. Nothing could ruin this moment.

Tim was smiling as well. He momentarily forgot the fear for Gibbs and even the anger and pain for Kelly and Shannon as he watched the two people in the world that acted like parents to him finally find happiness themselves. He always knew Gibbs was unhappy after the 'deaths' of his family and he even knew there was a sadness in Shannon. Now that at least could go away.

Shannon pulled away from her husband again. "Okay, wow. You have no idea how much I wanna just stay like this forever, but we can't."

Gibbs sighed. "The Reynosa Cartel. You're worried about them."

"There's a reason to be worried about them. They're very dangerous, Jethro, and they want all of us dead. I know they're after me and Kelly and now Tim. I'm sure you're on the list too. We have to get a move on," Shannon said. She wanted more than anything to just stay there with her family and shut everything else out, but that would be very foolish and she hadn't survived so long by being foolish. There would be time for better reunions later when they were all safe.

Gibbs shook his head. "It doesn't have to be this way. We can fight them."

"By what? Going to the police? I played that game, remember? It nearly cost me and our daughter our lives and it forced us into this. You can't stop the entire Cartel. One goes down and another will just step up. Safety is always going to come at a price for us. That price is remaining in hiding and holding onto a very high dose of paranoia," Shannon said.

"There has to be another way," Tim said. Like Gibbs, he didn't love the idea of being on the run. He was an agent. It was in his nature to try to find another solution.

Shannon turned to Tim. "Come here."

Tim was slightly hesitant as his fear of Gibbs was back and being that close to Gibbs seemed kind of dangerous, but he went over.

"You both have to listen to me right now. If we go back to DC, we're all dead. They will kill the two of you just to get to us, and you can bet they'll kill us. The only way to stay away is to stay one step ahead of them, and the only way to do that is to be out of their reach," Shannon explained.

"You want me to run," Gibbs said. That was so hard for him. Running away like a coward was not in him. The very thought seemed wrong.

Shannon sighed. "Jethro, I know that this goes against everything you are. You're a marine. Your instinct is to fight. But there is such a thing as a fight that can't be won. This is it. You can't beat the entire Cartel. If you try, they will kill you. They will kill us if we go back as well. And if it was just me, it might be a risk I'd be willing to take, but I will not take it for them," she said as she glanced at Tim and then Kelly.

"If the danger is so bad, why did you leave me behind?" Tim couldn't help but ask. He needed answers to that. He needed to know why the two people who had mattered most had walked out of his life without a word.

"Because I thought that maybe you would be safe if we were out of your life. It was a naïve thought on my part. I should've realized that eventually the Cartel would realize who you were to this family and come after you. I'm sorry for that," Shannon said.

Gibbs looked over at his agent. It was at that moment that he remembered exactly why they were brought there to begin with. He'd forgotten momentarily due to the shock of having his family back and then having Shannon explain the situation, but now it dawned on him. His family was McGee's family too. McGee was married to his daughter. Oh, they would be having words very soon.

"Tim, I wanted you to be safe. I wanted you to have a life that didn't involve running from place to place and having to look over your shoulder every day. That's not possible now. They will kill you to get to us and I won't let that happen. So you need to listen to me very carefully. I've told you this first part before, but I'm going to say it again. You are as much mine as Kelly is. I will not allow anything to happen to you. So I wanna be very clear on this. This is not a choice you have. You will come with us because I will not wait to hear news of your death," Shannon said firmly. This young man was her son in every way that could ever matter. She would do anything to keep him safe, even if that meant forcing him into a life that was not particularly ideal.

"Hey, I'm not arguing. In fact, I resent being protected in the first place. I don't love the idea of running, but I like the idea of living without you and Kelly even less. If being with you means being on the run, so be it," Tim said.

Shannon shifted her gaze to her husband. "I can't give you the same speech. I can't force you to do this with us. I can beg you though and I will if that's what it takes. I can't lose you again. The first time nearly destroyed me. The only thing that kept me going was Kelly. I don't know if I'd be able to survive it again."

Gibbs glanced at Tim for a second. He still really wanted to kill the kid for being married to his daughter and he still just might, but the younger man was right about one thing. Life without Shannon and Kelly was worse than any type of life with them. "You were right when you said running goes against everything in me. The very idea seems wrong. But not more wrong than walking away from you. I could never do that. I'm not gonna stop trying to find a way for us to go back, but I'll be damned if I let you leave my life again. If going with you on the run is the only way I can be with you now, so be it."

Shannon smiled and hugged her husband tightly. "Thank you.