Sins of the Father

An NCIS Fanfic.

Gibbs:

"You brought a date to the funeral."

Things had never been easy. Father and son pushed each other constantly. And when Gibbs' mother died, it got worse. Neither knew how to relate to the other. Gibbs would get into trouble, and Jack would sort him out. The whole town knew their troubles, and knew of the troublemaker Leroy.

Until Shannon.

Shannon made things better. She got communication flowing. She was so easy to talk to, and father and son both loved her to pieces. They would sit, when Jethro was home on leave, talking at the table for hours. Shannon loved Jack's stories. And her interest sparked Jethro's.

When Kelly came, it was even better. Jack melted into a puddle at every coo, and Jethro couldn't help but agree that she was the sweetest thing on the planet. He trusted his dad with the lives of his girls while he was away.

Even when they moved, Shannon made them keep in touch. Even across oceans, continents. And while Shannon always sent the Christmas cards, when Jethro was home, she made him sign it himself.

But then they died, and the lines of communication broke down.

The brunette woman on his father's arm had no business being at his family's funeral. And he made sure Jack knew it.

And then nothing. Three wives passed and no word between father and son.

Only the job could have brought Gibbs back to Stillwater. And only time could heal all wounds.

Gibbs knew they were both getting older. Too old to keep circling each other, teeth barred, ready for a fight. He knew they needed peace.

The shooting in Jack's store brought them closer, and the Reynosas made them family once again. That fierce need to protect his father sent Gibbs packing to Stillwater to bring his dad home and under his own roof until he was sure he'd be safe.

And now, every Christmas, he made the effort and sent Jack a Christmas card. Because they were father and son. Neither was perfect. Both had made mistakes. But they had the bond of family.

And they always would.

A/N: I love Jack. And I hope to see him more this season.

Hope you enjoyed. This is the last chapter of this story, but I'm working on some other stories that should be up soon.

Thanks for reading and please review!

Disclaimer: NCIS is the property of Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill.