DISCLAIMER: NCIS and its characters are the property of DPB and CBS. This story was written for entertainment purposes. No money involved what so ever. No copyright infringement is intended.
TITLE: Early Morning Mass
AUTHOR: bbfan
SUMMARY: Gibbs and Abby attend early morning Mass.
CATEGORY: Friendship/Romance
SPOILERS: Mentions previous deaths of characters, including Season 8
PAIRING: Gibbs/Abby
RATING: K+
WARNINGS: None
AUTHORS NOTES: This was written for Hiatus 2011 on the Gibbs/Abby Shipper Forum. The prompt was 'morning'.

Abby hurried into the church, hoping she wasn't too late. Her alarm clock hadn't gone off and she woke up behind schedule. Entering as quietly as she could, she made her way down the aisle to where she knew he'd be.

Gibbs was always there, the third pew, aisle seat. It was as if God knew to reserve that seat for him when someone inside the NCIS family died. The first time she had noticed him sitting there was when she came to early morning mass the day after they had buried Special Agent Chris Pacci. It had been the same with everyone that had followed. Kate, Agent Cassidy, Director Shepard, Agent Langer.

When Agent Lee had died, he stood at the back of the church, a debate raging inside him as to whether he should go and sit in his spot or to just stay where he was. His faith had won out and he made it to his seat, his facial expression unreadable. She didn't want to intrude, not knowing whether her presence would be welcome.

When Special Agent Jack Patterson had died, she didn't think he'd be there, so she went and sat down in his special seat. Much to her surprise, he arrived. She slid over and he sat down, taking her hand into his, giving her comfort when she had needed it most. He never let go and after Mass, he guided her up so she could light a candle for the agent she barely knew. He was a comfort to her then and now it was her turn to be a comfort to him.

Although they had never really gotten to know Special Agent Levin, she knew Gibbs would be there. It was a given. Deep in her heart, though, she knew he was really there for his mentor and dear friend, Mike Franks.

When she had arrived at the pew, Gibbs stood up and she slipped passed him. When she sat down, she had made sure to give him a little space. She wanted to be there for him, but she also didn't want him to think she was intruding on a very personal moment.

Gibbs must have noticed her uneasiness. Before she could get totally settled in, he had wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. Through his pained expression came a smile that went straight to her heart. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they both listened to the priest's encouraging words.

After the early morning Mass was over, Gibbs took her hand and they both went up to where the remembrance candles were placed. With her hand encased in his, they lit nine candles, seven for each agent that had passed, one for Director Shepard and one for Franks. When Gibbs went to blow out the candle they shared, Abby had stopped him by gently placing her free hand over his mouth. Moving their hands a couple of candles away from the ones they had just lit, Abby lit two more. Gibbs knew immediately who they were for, Shannon and Kelly.

Abby heard his sharp intake of breath and watched as he closed his eyes. She knew he was barely hanging on. She quickly blew out the shared candle and then took him in her arms. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and they just stood like that for a while, comforting each other in the only way they knew how. A bond that took years to build was now sealed with a shared love that forsake all others.

The End