The Broken Angel

Starts off Jibbs and Abby/Mikel. Eventual polyamorous Gibbs/Jenny/Abby

Summary: It all starts with an odd email from Abby. When it escalates, no one could have expected the outcome.

A/N: Deals with physical and emotional abuse; team-family bonding. Set sometime season 3. AU from Twilight in which Kate doesn't die. I figured that if Season 14 can have a 5-person team led by Gibbs, so can the earlier seasons, so both Kate and Ziva are on the team.

Prologue

"No one will ever love you like I do." When Mikel had first said it, she'd thought that it was sweet. He was nice and charming; the music he listened to and the clubs he went to were the same as hers. And maybe, in a way, he was right. She'd never found someone who understood her the way he did, was as fascinated with death as she was, loved Android Lust the way she did. She had a two-month rule, but by the third month he was already moved in with her. And it was fine. It was perfect. She was content. Three months and it felt like he was the right one for her, like he was her soulmate – up until she was late coming home from a case.

It was a very rare occurrence that she had to travel for a case; so rare in fact that she hadn't had the chance to tell him that she'd been going out of town and wouldn't be back until after midnight. Exhausted and drained emotionally from the case, all she wanted to do was fall into bed beside her boyfriend and sleep. What she hadn't been expecting was the sudden barrage of questions the moment she got through the door.

"Where were you? Who were you with?"

She'd attempted to explain herself, explain about the case, but he wasn't having any of it. He was shouting at her, and she wasn't sure she'd ever been more terrified than that moment. It wasn't even that he was yelling at her; what terrified her was the cold, crazy look in his eyes.

She pushed past him roughly, explaining that she was tired and was heading to bed. He grabbed her arm, yanking her back to him, "Don't you walk away from me! You listen to me when I'm talking to you!"

When asked about the bruising on her arm the next day, she'd brushed it off, acting like it had happened in her sleep. And since that time after the case, it hadn't happened again. A few months had passed, so she assumed it had been a one-time thing, something that had been her fault because – really –she should've let him know. So-what if he had scared her? She hadn't thought that he'd escalate the way he had, heading on a downward spiral.

She knew she should've tried to make more time for him, but her work took precedence. Yet that didn't allow him to put his hands on her. And she knew that. She knew it. But she refused to let anyone know about it. This was her life, her relationship, and she could handle it.

Chapter 1

The music wasn't what she normally listened to and the place wasn't as crowded as she liked, but a night out with Kate and Ziva was something she'd been looking forward to all week. It had been a long time since they'd been out on a girl's night together. As swamped with work as they'd been this week, she had initially feared that they wouldn't get the chance. Then again, with the way Mikel seemed to be micromanaging her schedule, she hadn't thought she'd be able to go out tonight anyway, but she'd managed to let him know she was going out.

In the beginning of their relationship, she'd liked how attentive he was. He was always home when she got there, and Android Lust or another band was usually on in the background. She'd go to sleep happy as she normally would. But that quickly changed.

Six months in, and he was constantly calling and texting her, so much that she'd put her phone on silent when she was working, trying to ignore the guilt she felt. At first, she'd called him during her lunch break, but he'd explained that since he never knew when he had a break, it would be easier for him to call her. And that made sense. Now though, the constant calls and texts were overwhelming; they were distracting her from doing her job, and it was the most important thing in the world to her.

When she woke up today, she hadn't been expecting to find him at her computer, sending an email to both Gibbs and the Director that said how she wasn't feeling well and was staying home.

"I just wanted to spend the day with you, baby." She'd brushed off the explanation. Her work came first.

She'd gone into work and had to explain to both of her bosses that she was fine and had just woken up with a headache. She had no ability to lie whatsoever, but they seemed to accept her story. When Ziva and Kate had come down after the case was solved, promising a girl's night out, she didn't even think to say no.

Before she'd started dating Mikel, the three of them would have drinks at one of their apartments; the drinking rarely lasted long, turning into impromptu movie nights that usually ended up with coffee and breakfast the following morning. It'd been nice, a relaxing end to a grueling week. When they'd started dating, she and Mikel spent a lot of time together, and their girl's nights dwindled down to barely once every few months. Sure, they still saw each other at work, but it wasn't the same.

She was startled from her thoughts as Ziva and Kate placed a row of tequila shots in front of her. She smirked up at them, picking up the first one.

Three shots in, she had no filter. Between talks about whom was hotter, Tony or Tim, she caught a glimpse of a familiar face.

"Gibbs."

She should file that under what not to say when asked her opinion. Her two friends blinked, glancing at her. But what was she supposed to do when her silver-haired fox walked into the bar, scanning for someone? He had a date. She tried to ignore the pang of sadness that overtook her at the thought. She wasn't single, what did she care?

The ringing of her cellphone pulled her from her thoughts. She glanced down at it, a frown cutting through her slight buzz. Mikel M. She silenced her phone, placing it back in her pocket as she looked back at Kate and Ziva, "Tony's my best friend, so I'd say he's hotter."

She ignored the constant vibration against her leg, indicating the various calls and texts. All from Mikel. She was starting to get angry. She'd told him she was going out and not to wait up for her. Couldn't she have one night out?

She'd just finished her sixth shot of the night when a shadow loomed over her.

"There you are, baby. I was so worried."

She turned in her seat, glancing up at Mikel, "What are you doing here?"

"You weren't answering my calls or texts and I got worried so I tracked your phone and –"

"You tracked my phone?" She questioned, and the anger she'd been feeling skyrocketed, "Mikel, I told you that I was going out tonight. I don't need you to be following me. I'll be home later."

"You've had enough, Abby. I'm taking you home."

"She wants to stay here by the look of it," Ziva replied.

"We'll make sure she makes it home." Kate added.

"Oh, please, you two are just as drunk." He sneered.

"But I'm not," the distinct smell of sawdust hit her nose and she looked behind Mikel to see Gibbs, arms crossed, his blue eyes sparking with anger, "Is there a reason you're harassing my co-workers?"

"Gibbs…" she started.

Mikel snorted, stepping up to him, "You're Gibbs? Christ, the way Abby talks about you, it sounded like I had some competition."

She felt her face heat up. She didn't talk about him that much, "Mikel, let's just go. Come on."

He wrapped a possessive arm around her, "That's what I thought." She started to dig her wallet out of her purse, but he grabbed it, directing her towards the exit, "Let them handle it."

"What? Mikel, that's not fair. We always split it."

He shot a look back at the table where Kate and Ziva sat, Gibbs standing not far away, all three watching them, "You need better friends, baby. Do you hear this music?"

She bit her lip. She actually kinda liked it.

The chilly air helped to clear her head, as did the drive home, but she didn't choose to speak until they were back at her apartment.

"Mikel, what you did back there was so inappropriate. Those are my co-workers, my boss."

He was up in her face before she could blink, "You said you'd be home by 10, Abby. I was so worried about you, and you tried to blow me off. How could you do that to me?"

She walked towards the bathroom, pulling out her pigtails, "I told you that I was going out. A text and a call. This is my life, not yours. You don't get to dictate my every move."

"What have I said about walking away from me?" He grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him. She shoved him roughly, and he backhanded her. She stumbled back, tripping over her feet as she tried to get her balance, and fell onto the floor. She wasn't expecting the first kick, hard against her stomach, but instinctively curled up to try and lessen the next two blows, "What. Have. I. Said?"

She wasn't sure how long she laid there after he stopped, trying to control the wave of tears that slipped down her cheeks, smearing her makeup. It hurt to move, hurt to breathe too deep. She eventually fell into a restless sleep on the living room floor.

She woke up on the floor some hours later. Mikel was gone by the look of it, a note on the coffee table.

I'm sorry I acted the way I did. I didn't mean to hurt you. I love you. I'll be back later tonight.

Mikel

She read it over, once, twice, and then threw it away. She wasn't sure she believed him, and as she ran her hand over newly formed bruises as she took a shower that morning, she wasn't sure he was the same guy she fell for all those months ago.

A new case came in around noon; she'd spent most of her Saturday reading articles from a new science journal and cleaning up. She wasn't sure she'd ever been more relieved when Gibbs called about needing her to process evidence. The thought of staying home waiting for Mikel to return didn't seem all that appealing to her.

She'd just finished putting on her make-up when a knock sounded at her front door. She looked through the peephole and was surprised to see Gibbs' frame at the door. She pulled it open with a smile, "Gibbs? What are you doing here?"

"Figured you'd need a ride."

"You called me from the Navy Yard, Gibbs."

He smiled, holding out a Caf-Pow, "Yep."

He came from the Navy Yard to pick her up. It was completely out of his way. Her eyes lit up, and she grabbed her keys, locking the door behind her as she took the Caf-Pow with one hand and looped her free arm through his, "Thanks Gibbs. Needed this."

He guided her to his car, "Hangover?"

"Not too bad."

"You okay?"

She blinked, looking over at him; they'd only just started down the road towards HQ, "Yeah?"

"Do I need to run a background check on this guy?"

Oh. He was talking about Mikel. She shook her head, sucking happily on the straw, "No, it's ok."

"I don't like him."

She smiled despite herself. He sounded kinda jealous, "He's an okay guy, Gibbs. We've been dating for half a year, since Halloween."

He stopped at a red light and turned to look at her, an intense look in his eyes, "He touches you, you tell me."

Gibbs already got that vibe from him and he'd met him briefly. She swallowed roughly, "I will." She wished she could tell him that he'd already had.

"Gibbs, what Mikel said, at the bar," she took a breath, looking out the window as they started moving again, "I don't talk about you that much at home. He was exaggerating."

Her silver-haired fox chuckled, "I know."

HQ loomed in the distance. As she started up her babies and got to work, the situation with Mikel moved to the back of her mind.

A/N: Reviews are life.