Day One Abby

"I know I have it," I mutter to the bus driver. This is absurd. I don't know what I was thinking when I asked the director for a weeks vacation time. There is little to no chance that I can get Gibbs to come back with me. But I need him. And I think he needs me. Or us.

"Here it is!" I say with a smile, pulling my passport out of my carryon bag. The driver looks it over and nods, handing it back to me. I tuck it back into my bag before climbing onto the bus, taking a window seat near the back of the bus. I had taken a flight from D.C. to San Antonio and had decided to take a bus from the terminal instead of booking another flight. It'll be about a two hour ride down to Baja Mexico where I'll find Gibbs.

It had taken me a few days to find out where Gibbs was in Mexico, but once I found it, I told the director that I needed a week off for vacation time before I exploded. I am actually surprised at how quickly she said yes, but I've never taken time off before, so she really had no reason to say no. The fact that she didn't question me though, well I can't say that I understand that. She had agreed with a small smile on her lips, I had hugged everyone goodbye and immediately booked my flight.

The bus pulls out and I take a deep breath, taking a last look at the terminal before smiling and taking the postcards I had bought at the airport out from my bag on the floor. Each one had a cheesy picture of Texas, sombreros and rodeos on the front. Tony had said that he expected a postcard for each day I was gone, and I'm not planning on letting him down.

I bend down again to grab a pen, catching eyes with a young girl sitting across the isle from me. I send her a smile and she sends me one back.

"Hi," she says. "My name is Michelle."

"I'm Abby," I tell her and I can tell that her mother isn't too pleased that I've spoken back to her daughter. I'm used to it though. I'm not exactly the picture of a normal and nice woman. "On vacation?"

"Yup!"

"Me too," I say with a smile. The girl's mother has turned back to her book, deciding that I'm not going to murder her daughter.

"Where are you from?"

The girl is certainly not shy, but I don't mind. I love talking and conversations with children I enjoy possibly the most. They don't judge; they're only curious. Young, naïve and trusting. It's something that you don't usually find anywhere near NCIS.

"Washington D.C.," I reply.

"Like the president?" she asks, her young green eyes wide in amazement.

"That's the place," I tell her as her mother bends down to say something quietly to her daughter. The little girl nods and picks up a Gameboy DS from a small bag at her feet.

I smile once more before turning back to my postcards. I had bought one for Tony, Ziva, McGee, Ducky and Palmer in order to give me something to do on the bus ride. If that failed, I had brought my laptop as a last resort.

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I grab my luggage from under the bus and thank the driver as I throw it on my shoulders. I had managed to pack everything I brought into a camping backpack and my carryon. I plan on staying on the beach so it wasn't really necessary fro me to take more other than the sleeping bag strapped on at the bottom of the backpack.

Looking around the small village, the bus pulls away behind me leaving me stranded here. My plan was to use everyday of my vacation time attempting to get Gibbs back to NCIS and if I couldn't do it in seven days then I'd let if rest and come to terms with his retirement.

My watch tells me that it's 5:00 D.C. time so it's 4:00 here. I take a deep breath of hot dry air and start walking towards the sound of music.

The bar is everything I expect from a beachside bar. Open to the ocean and crowded with local people.

A man walks towards me, looking me up and down before saying something in Spanish to me. I can typically decipher Spanish when spoken slowly, but I have no clue what this guy just said to me.

"Umm," I say slowly. "Lo siento…no habla mucho espanol?"

To my relief a short pretty woman cutes in front of me and says something to the man that makes him walk away and sit back at the table he had come from.

"Thanks," I tell her.

"Can I get you something?" she asks me before walking behind the bar.

I look at her for a moment before nodding and asking for a Corona. She hands one to me with a lime and takes in my attire. "What are you really here for?" she asks.

"Don't I look like a local?" I ask her with a smile before downing most of my beer.

"Not quite."

"I'm looking for a man," I tell her slowly. "Tall, built, gorgeous blue eyes and salt and pepper hair."

"You mean Mr. Gibbs?"

"Yes! That's him!" I exclaim. "You know where I can find him?"

She smiles at me and points towards the beach at a small cottage right on the sand. "He's there with Mike Franks."

I nod at her and finish the rest of my beer, handing her a five dollar bill. It isn't until she's put it in the register do I even consider that she might not take American.

"Thank you," I tell her before walking out of the bar and towards the cottage. I stop to take off my boots as they hit the soft sand and walk the next fifty yards to the cottage barefooted.

Mike is asleep on the porch, half a Corona resting on his stomach. I look towards the roof where someone is hammering and take my bag off, resting it against the wall of the cottage.

"Since you're awake, want to throw me up a beer-"

We stare at each other a for a few moments in silence. It looks like Gibbs hasn't shaved in weeks and his hair is the longest that I have ever seen it.

"Hey," I say dumbly, not sure what else to say.

He continues to stare at me for a few more moments before shaking himself out of it and slowly climbing down the ladder. As soon as he is facing me, I run into his arms, throwing my own arm around his neck.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

I don't reply at first, keeping my arms tight around him and breathing in his scent.

He pulls away from me and rests his hands on my shoulders. "Abby?"

"I need you," I tell him. "We all need you. It's not the same at work without you. I mean, Tony's great but he's not you, Gibbs…I took a week vacation as soon as I found out where you were and I thought that I would come down here and try to get you to come back with me and if you didn't after a week well… I'd say goodbye and that's that."

He sighs and removes his right hand from my shoulder to wipe a tear away from my face that I didn't know I had shed. "I'm retired, Abby."

"Not officially," I tell him. "Not yet."

"I'm not coming back, Abby," he tells me softly. "I made a decision and I'm staying with it."

I take a step backwards so his hand drops from my shoulder to his side. "I'm here for a week Gibbs," I tell him sternly. "And you're either coming back with me or we'll never see each other again because if I leave here and you don't come back with me…well I never want to see you again."

I can't quite read the expression on his face and before he can reply, Mike wakes with a jump, the clattering of his bottle on the porch causing me to jump.

"Abby!" he says in surprise. "Jethro didn't tell me you were coming," he says looking to Gibbs.

"He didn't know," I reply walking around Gibbs to give Mike a hug. I had gotten pretty close to Mike when Gibbs had lost his memory. He's abrasive but not a bad guy.

Mike gives me a smirk as if he knows something I don't after I've pulled away from him. "Where are you staying?" he asks.

I gesture to my backpack. "Beach," I reply.

"I won't hear of that," Mike replies. "At least take my couch. There's all sorts of people walking around here at night. It's a nice neighborhood, but even the nicest neighborhood has its scum."

"Thank you," I tell him, chancing a look to Gibbs. "I'll think about it."

Mike smiles at me and walks inside. When I turn back to Gibbs he's shaking his head. "It won't work, Abby," he tells me before climbing back up the ladder to the roof.

Ignoring his statement, I smirk. "Still want that beer?" I ask, dangling it between two fingers.

To my pleasure he smiles at me and shakes his head, picking up his hammer and getting back to the roof.