Hi again! Before I get into anything else, I just want to say thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favs. You guys might not realize it, but they really make us fanfiction writers super happy, so thank you so much!

Anyway, this chapter is a lot longer than the other ones, so enjoy!

The elevator dinged and the doors to Autopsy swooshed open, alerting Ducky of his newcome visitor. Sitting at his desk, he turned to see who it was, his eyes resting on none other than Leroy Jethro Gibbs who stood by the doors.

"Ah, Jethro! I didn't expect you down here so soon," Ducky greeted, giving his colleague and friend a small smile.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "You called me, Duck," was his short response.

"That I did, Jethro, that I did," he affirmed, turning towards his desk once more to close the file he'd been going over before turning his full attention to Gibbs.

Being an impatient man, the pause of the older Scottish gentleman wore slightly on Gibbs's nerves. "Well, Ducky? We don't have a dead body, so why'd ya call me down here?" he finally asked, gazing expectantly at him.

"Yeah, thank goodness for that," Ducky nodded. Another look from Gibbs encouraged Ducky to get to the point. Positioning himself in his seat, he gazed at Gibbs intently before opening his mouth to speak. "The reason I called you down here is because a little bird informed me that there has been a new addition to the Major Crime Response Team," he acknowledged.

A smile broke out on Gibbs's face and he laughed. "Let me guess, Abby?"

"Yeah, isn't it always?" Ducky confirmed, a playful smile tugging on his lips. The smile however withdrew quickly, being replaced with a more serious and solemn expression, as he rose from his chair. Coming to stand before Gibbs, he made eye contact with him before speaking. "What I found most interesting about this new addition was her identity," he informed, searching the old Marine's face for some sign of reaction. Finding none, he asked hesitantly, "Is it true that your daughter and wife are alive?"

Gibbs gazed at him intensely before breaking eye contact and casting his eyes to the floor, bowing his head. A joyful smile spread across his face, and as he looked up, his eyes were shining, giving Ducky enough of a confirmation.

"Yeah, Duck, they're alive," he affirmed solemnly, and for the first time in forever, Ducky witnessed Gibbs truly happy.

Suddenly being filled with exuberance and excitement, Ducky exclaimed, "Oh Jethro, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you! Where are they? When can I meet them?"

Amused by the doctor's excitement, Gibbs chuckled. "Shannon is currently working at Bethesda Naval Hospital as a physical therapist," he explained, "but as for Kelly…" He paused, glancing towards the door, nodding.

Ducky followed his eyes to where they were looking and watched as the Autopsy doors swooshed open once more. Within mere seconds, a timid yet confident young woman with short brunette hair and striking light blue eyes entered, giving him an awkward wave before coming to stand beside Gibbs.

Motioning towards the older man, Gibbs began, "Kelly, this is Dr. Donald Mallard, or 'Ducky'. He's the Chief Medical Examiner here at NCIS, as well as a good friend of mine." Turning to Ducky, he put his arm around Kelly's shoulders before adding, "Ducky, this is my daughter, Kelly."

Kelly quickly stuck out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ducky," she greeted, a soft smile forming on her lips.

Ducky accepted her hand, but to her surprise, instead of shaking it, he kissed it gently. "Of a surety, the pleasure is all mine," he insisted, smiling tenderly.

"You definitely know how to make a girl feel special," Kelly complemented, immediately blushing. Gibbs grinned.

"That's Ducky for ya, a true gentleman in every aspect," he commented, earning a pleased smile from Ducky.

"Ah, well don't let Gibb's stern and gruff manner fool you, he's just as much of a gentleman as any proper Englishman," Ducky informed Kelly, eliciting a chuckle from her and a scoff from Gibbs. Reminiscing for a short moment, a glimmer of excitement shone in his eyes, and Gibbs sighed, aware of what was coming. "That reminds me of when we first met. His manners and his courtesy was the first impression he made on me. The circumstances of when we met were less than idea, but I'll never forget the day Mike Franks brought his new probie of a marine to a crime scene. Yes, if my memory is correct, it was the murder of a…"

After the first couple sentences, Gibbs tuned Ducky out, not to be rude but solely because he was so captivated by his daughter, his little girl, sitting on a chair Ducky had provided for her while listening with amusement as Ducky recounted several tales of love, mischief, and tragedy. But what really made his heart skip a beat was whenever Kelly would turn around to glance at him, her eyes full of love and admiration as she gave him her biggest smile before being pulled back into the trance Ducky's stories occasionally pulled people into.

Gibbs smiled. Content with the scene playing out before him, he pulled up a chair and swung it around, straddling it before allowing himself to be pulled into the rhythm of the story.

~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~

(A few days later)

The sun shone brightly through the old windows of Stillwater's General Store as Jackson Gibbs worked meticulously tidying up the back room as he always did in the morning, and as he always had done since the day he and Leroy Jethro Moore opened the store together many years ago. Since opening day, only a few events had kept him from performing his daily routine: the death and funeral of his wife, the wedding of his son, the birth of his first and only grandchild, and the funeral of his daughter-in-law and said grandchild. As of late though, nothing had come up to disrupt the cycle, and so he performed his tasks everyday like clockwork. To him, today seemed no different.

Despite it still being slightly early in the morning, nothing stopped customers from coming in, or so told the ringing of the bell on the front door.

"I'll be with you in a minute," Jackson called from the back room.

"There's no rush," came a masculine voice from inside the store.

Setting aside the broom he'd been using to sweep the floor, Jackson exited the back room and came around the corner, finding a man standing by the window with his back facing him. Jackson presumed him to be a stranger from out of town due to the fact that he didn't recognize him, and boy did he know everyone in town.

The stranger was tall, about six feet, and was wearing a Carhartt jacket along with denim jeans and boots. What was most striking about his appearance was his silver hair, the sunlight from the window causing it to gleam and glisten. From the way he held himself, Jackson sensed a hint of familiarity but ignored it. Upon hearing him enter the room, the stranger turned around.

"Heard this is the best place around town to get fishin' worms," he said, a friendly half-smile spreading across his lips.

Masking his surprise, Jackson raised an eyebrow. "Whoever told you that was right," he stated simply, gazing at the man in front of him. The man stared back, refusing to break eye-contact.

Finally, the man spoke. "Hi, Dad."

Jackson nodded. "Hello, son. Long time, no see."

Jethro Gibbs chuckled, his eyes glancing to the floor for a moment. "Too long," he admitted, sticking his hands in his front pockets.

The elder Gibbs scoffed. "It's not as if you tried to visit. You ignore my calls, never reply to my letters, and suddenly you come waltzing into my store? What do you want?" he inquired, his frustration clearly evident as he balled his fists. Gibbs's smile waned as he noticed the tension in his voice.

"I was hoping to go fishing with my dad," he admitted, his voice portraying caution. Jackson's eyebrows shot up in disbelief before relaxing seconds later.

He shook his head. "And you expect me to drop everything and come with you?"

"No,I don't expect you to do anything, but I am hoping." Gibbs lazily scanned the store, casting a quick glance outside as well. "After all," said he, a playful smile tugging on his lips, "It's only a Thursday. Not many people come in here on Thursday."

Immediately, the tension barrier was broken as Jackson let out a laugh. "True that," he agreed, wagging a finger at a smiling Gibbs.

Coming to lean against the counter, Gibbs rested his arms on it. "So what do ya say, Dad?" he asked, "Will you come fishing with me?"

There was a short pause before Jackson's face broke out in a grin.

"I'll grab the wrigglers."

~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~

The sunlight danced off of the surface of the water as Jackson and Gibbs sat fishing, lazily munching on jerky and trail mix. Fixing his gaze on the horizon, Gibbs sighed, casting his line out with one swift movement.

"You've got that look again," he muttered, slowly reeling his line in.

Jackson glanced at him questioningly. "What look?"

"The look you get when you want to say something but you're hesitant to say it," Gibbs stated.

An eyebrow shot up. "And how would you know what that looks like?"

Casting an amused look at his father, Gibbs chuckled softly. "Come on, Dad, I lived with you for eighteen years. You pick up on things." Upon receiving no response from the former, he gazed intently at him. "So come on, say it," Gibbs finally urged.

Jackson stopped reeling and set his pole aside before taking a deep breath and turning to his son. "Why are you really here?" he asked, his facial expression as persistent and earnest as his words and tone of voice.

"Do I need an excuse to visit my dad?" Gibbs retorted softly, causing Jackson's brow to furrow deeper.

"Since this is you we're talking about, yes," he responded bluntly.

Gibbs sighed, a small contemplative smile spreading on his lips. Setting his rod aside, he turned to his father. "Shannon and Kelly are alive."

He knew he'd hit the right spot because Jackson Gibbs was at a loss for words, a phenomenon that rarely occurred. Gradually, however, the petrifying shock that had overcome Jackson slowly wore off.

"What?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

Gibbs's smile widened in confirmation. "They survived the accident. They're not dead."

Still confused, Jackson frowned. "How is this possible? Where have they been all this time?"

"Living in California until this last year. Since then, they've been on the north side of Bethesda." Seeing the chagrin still evident in his father's body language, he clarified. "When Shannon and Kelly barely made it out of the accident, the FBI put them in a witness protection program without authorization, giving them new identities and new names. to protect them from the Reynosa Cartel. Unfortunately however, due to her injuries, Shannon was unable to testify at court. To make matters worse, the FBI received false information that I went missing in action during the explosion in Desert Storm."

Pausing to take a breath and check on his father was doing, Gibbs continued. "With me supposedly dead and her having not had any contact with you or anyone else in years, Shannon felt that it was easier to move on and start a new life under the aliases she and Kelly were given by the FBI. She moved to Clovis, California, and lived there until Kelly got transferred to the FBI's offices in DC."

Finished with his explanation, Gibbs gazed at his father, waiting for him to say something. However, Jackson's face was completely blank, as if he was in a daze, and no part of his mouth appeared to move. His eyes appeared to be moistening, though, enough that a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"They're alive?" he finally whispered, his voice cracking ever so slightly.

Gibbs nodded. "They're alive," he confirmed with a smile.

After a moment of quiet reflection, a playful smile began to tug on Jackson's lips as he quickly wiped away whatever tears he had in his eyes. "Since Shannon is alive, does this mean you two might get together again," he asked, humor in his voice, causing Gibbs to chuckle.

"That's the other thing I wanted to tell you. Shannon and I are getting married again."

Jackson's eyebrows shot up in shock. Moments later, a smile formed. "That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you, son," he congratulated, patting a smiling Gibbs on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad," Gibbs said.

Jackson's expression grew solemn, if almost pleading, and a hesitant pause followed. "Do you think I could I see them sometime?" he asked, his eyes begging for his cause, "I really miss those girls of yours.

Gibbs placed a hand on his father's shoulder. Suddenly, the sound of a car pulling up alerted Gibbs, and he immediately turned to glance at it. "How about now?" he asked, smiling and waving to the car. Standing up, Gibbs motioned Jackson to follow him.

As the two Gibbs walked towards the car, two women climbed out, one redhead and one brunette. The closer they got, the more Jackson recognized them. Although Shannon's red hair stood out tremendously, the person that caught his eye was Kelly, who immediately broke into a run. Approaching her, he didn't hesitate to throw his arms around her the second she reached him, releasing a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Kelly also let out a gasping sob.

"Oh my sweet child, I missed you so much," he murmured into her hair, letting all of his emotions flow into his embrace.

"I missed you, too, Grandpa," Kelly whispered, hugging him back as tightly as he hugged her.

He held her for a moment longer, just like he had when she was little, before pulling apart and grasping her shoulders, gazing into her soft blue eyes. "Look at you," he said, his lips forming a soft smile, "You're all grown up." At a loss for words, Kelly only smiled back, moisture collecting in her eyes. Turning to Shannon, Jackson gave her a hug as well, kissing her on the cheek after pulling apart. "As for you, my daughter, you're as radiant as ever."

Shannon blushed. "You always did give the sweetest compliments," she confessed, her sweet smile filling his heart with a kind of love he never thought he would feel again.

Unable to hold himself back anymore, Jackson wrapped his arms around them, holding them like it was the last. Unbeknownst to him, Gibbs came to stand behind them, smiling at the scene playing out before him.

Finally he asked, "Is my excuse for visiting good enough for you?"

Without releasing Shannon and Kelly from his grasp, Jackson turned his head to glance at his son. With a grin plastered on his expression, he responded. "Definitely."

~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~

A Month Later…

Standing towards the back of the hall, Leroy Jethro Gibbs separated himself from the rest of the party, resorting to merely watching the processions. The sun had gone down a while ago, and the only thing keeping the pavilion lit were the white icicle lights hanging from the ceiling and the candles sitting in the middle of the tables. Although, he had a difficult time making out people in the low light, it helped set the mood for the wedding reception. And yet, he never had a problem making out the smile on his new bride's face.

Mesmerized by the blissful atmosphere around him, his mind began to slip into a contemplative state, going back to when he first found out his wife and daughter were alive. Although it had almost been three months since then, he remembered it like yesterday. The shock. The anger. The relief. The joy.

The joy.

That was the sum of the past three months. From the time he first visited Shannon when she was weeding her hydrangeas, to the night he took her on the first date, to when she said yes for the second time while Kelly stood by crying tears of joy. The only emotion he felt during those three months was joy, and tonight that joy was multiplied to the power of infinity. Though one could argue that he and Shannon had jumped the gun, there was no need to wait when the person you were marrying was your soulmate.

Soulmate.

Just the thought of the word put him on Cloud Nine. Tonight was the night he had married his soulmate for the second time, and heaven help whatever or whomever tried to pull them apart again. This was the last time he was going to let his girls be taken from him.

Skimming over the group of people on the dance floor, Gibbs located his wife and daughter dancing to Heaven Is A Place On Earth by Belinda Carlisle. A chuckle formed deep in his throat as he flashed back to the days when Shannon would dance to it with four year-old Kelly in the living room. However, he soon found himself glancing around the room, his eyes resting on each of the guests.

Originally, he and Shannon had planned for something smaller like a barbeque to celebrate their marriage, but with Kelly and Abby in charge of some of the wedding plans, the whole ordeal ended up being bigger than expected. That being said, it was still considered a small wedding as only Gibbs's and Shannon's family and close friends were invited. In one corner, Gibbs spotted his father carrying a conversation with Ducky and Shannon's mother, Joann Fielding, as Jimmy Palmer stood awkwardly by. On the table across from them was Director Vance, Secretary Jarvis, and Deputy Director Tom Morrow. Due to the serious expressions on their faces, he guessed they were talking politics.

Sighing, Gibbs's eyes wandered over to his ex-wife, Dianne. He hadn't originally planned on inviting her, but since he invited Fornell, he figured it a common courtesy to invite her as well. Speaking of Fornell, he frowned as he searched for him, only to laugh when he caught him slipping something stronger into the fruit punch he was holding.

His eyes moving back to the dance floor, he smiled upon seeing his team there, dancing their hearts out to What I Like About You by The Romantics. Naturally, they were separated into pairs, Abby with Tim and Tony with Ziva. Something in the back of his mind pushed him to react, but he quickly shrugged it off. It being his wedding reception and all, he figured he could let Rule #12 slide tonight.

The song ended and Abby immediately made a mad dash for the microphone. "And now for the moment all you single ladies have been waiting for, the Bouquet Toss!"

All the guys on the floor immediately took their seats at nearby tables while most of women crowded behind Shannon who stood in the center of the floor. Much to Gibbs's amusement, he spotted Diane towards the back of the crowd. After the women had assembled, Shannon threw the bouquet up and over her head. Everyone watched in surprise as it sailed over all the reaching hands- right into McGee's lap. Turning beet red with embarrassment, McGee sat mortified as everyone laughed.

Gibbs, however, laughed the loudest, his roar catching the attention of his red-headed bride who instantly flashed him an amused smile. You're The Inspiration by Chicago began to play, and Shannon slowly approached him, her hands grasping his as they met.

Gazing into his eyes, she asked softly, "May I have this dance?"

Gibbs smiled, giving her his arm before leading her into the middle of the floor. Placing his hand on her mid-back as she placed a hand on his shoulder, they began to sway. Listening to the music, he closed his eyes, each and every word ringing true in his heart.

You're the meaning in my life

You're the inspiration

You bring feeling to my life

You're the inspiration

Wanna have near me

I wanna have you hear me sayin'

No one needs more than I need you

This. This was his world, and everything he needed was right here. That was all he could have ever asked for, and for the first time years, he was truly happy.

AND CUT! That's the end! I hope you all liked it and I hope it was worth your time :-) If you guys are interested, I am currently working on another Kelly Gibbs story that will be much longer. I just have to get more chapters written ahead of time before I publish it, but hopefully it won't be to long.

On a side note, I'm not sure if you noticed but I was listening to my 80's jams while writing this, so it kinda spilled into the chapter :-) Just for fun, what are you favorite 80's songs? I'd love to hear them :-)

Anyway, thank you so much for reading!

~sapphire2994~