Hi again! Originally, I wasn't going to add anything to this, but a guest (you know who you are :)) requested a scene where Gibbs and Shannon see each other for the first time in a long time, and I was happy to comply :) So anyway, kick back, relax, and enjoy!
The sun had barely risen fully over the distant horizon, ushering in a peaceful Saturday morning, before Shannon Parker was up and out weeding her hydrangeas that bloomed in her front yard flower boxes. With nurturing care, she meticulously and efficiently sought out every new weed, running her hand gently over the soil after removing said weed. Though some found her efforts redundant and unnecessary, going out every other morning, searching for unwanted shoots, others praised her, stating that her yard was the most welcoming and homiest little yard on this side of the Potomac. With her lovely lavender hydrangeas that accented her small antique white house and the large willow that stood at the front-right corner of her yard, it was easy to be drawn to the tranquility and peacefulness it inspired.
Such was the reason Shannon was up at this early hour, tending to her yard with motherly care, while the rest of her neighborhood was no doubt sleeping in. Because of this, she was slightly startled when a tall figure blocked her sunlight. Turning herself around but not bothering to rise from her squatting position, she strained her neck to glance up at the figure, unable to make an identification due to the sun that was positioned directly behind it's head. The only thing she could determine was that it was a man, somewhere in his mid or late fifties due to the silver gleam coming from his military haircut.
In a failed attempt to identify him for the second time, she placed a hand over her eyes to try to shade out the sun before asking, "Can I help you?"
She watched as the figure let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, actually you can. I'm not really from around here, and I think I might have gotten lost," he explained embarrassingly, his gravelly voice sounding oddly familiar.
Letting out a soft laugh, she inquired, "Well where are you trying to go?"
The man shifted onto his left leg awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "I'm actually looking for someone, my wife. Or maybe my ex-wife, I don't know. She thinks I'm dead, so… Anyway, I'm told she lives around here?"
His ramblings amused her and she again laughed understandingly. "Oh, well tell me what she looks like. I might have seen her somewhere."
The man hesitated. "She's about average height, has fiery red hair and crystal blue eyes, and probably one of the most radiating smiles I've ever seen. She lives alone, although our daughter visits her every Sunday. The person that told me about her says she lives in a little white house, kinda like yours."
As he described his long-lost sweetheart, she felt as if he were describing herself, and she quickly grew perplexed. Something began to gnaw on her heart, and her gut kept tugging on her shirt sleeve, but her mind denied the possibilities that bombarded her. Cautiously, she asked, "What's her name?"
The silence that followed made her uneasy as the man only gazed down at her, his eyes penetrating her very soul. "Shannon," he said softly, causing her breath to hitch and her heart to skip a beat. With the way he said her name so affectionately and tenderly, she would've recognized his voice anywhere.
Standing to meet his gaze, she recognized his face immediately and let out a soft gasp. Her face paled, and although her mouth moved, no audible words formed. Gibbs refrained from speaking as well, and only gazed into her eyes in the most loving manner, his own beginning to glisten.
Slowly, one of Shannon's hands made it's way to his face and softly yet cautiously brushed his cheek, her eyes searching his face, cataloging every scar, every wrinkle that had adorned his face since the last time she saw him. Along with that, his short brown hair had been invaded by the aging white hairs that almost completely covered his head. At the same time, however, his eyes were the same youthful icy blue eyes she had looked into when she said, "I do."
Finding her composure, she asked in an almost strangled voice, "Jethro?" Gibbs's smile widened in confirmation, and a stray tear of joy escaped down his cheek. Without hesitation, Shannon wrapped her arms around his neck, a strangled sob escaping her lips, and Gibbs embraced her back, holding on to her like he was never going to let go.
While a few silent tears rolled down her cheeks, comforting murmurs escaped his lips until Shannon pulled away, drying her cheeks with her shirt sleeve and uttering a silent apology. Her face then contorted itself slightly into a look of concern.
"How is this possible? I mean, I thought you were dead because they told-"
Gibbs's finger pressed against her lips, signaling her to stop talking while looking at him with a confused expression. Finally, he asked, "Can't a guy say hello?" Shannon blushed and nodded. Gazing into her eyes, he uttered, "Hello." She smiled.
"Hello," she replied softly, her cheeks reddening even more.
Glancing behind her, he complemented, "Those are some gorgeous hydrangeas you have there. Grow them yourself?"
Shannon smiled and looked at the flowers behind her. "Yeah, uh, they remind me of home. My mother grew some in our flowerbeds, and she taught me how to care for them," she explained.
"She taught you well," Gibbs responded. Pausing for a moment, he added, "Say, would you like a hand with these? Maybe afterwards, we can go out for breakfast and talk."
Shannon's smile widened. "I'd like that very much," she said. She then gave him a quick peck on the cheek before kneeling down in front of her flower beds. Gibbs followed suit, taking off his sport jacket and setting it aside.
"Good," he commented with a smile, "Because I know a place that makes killer waffles."
To the guest that requested this, I hope this works :) Also, everybody else feel free to leave a comment or a request and I'll get around to it as soon as I can :)