Gibbs is in his basement, jar of liquor in hand. Shannon and Kelly were his life. They always would be. But now that they were gone he'd wondered whether being deployed in times where he could've spent time with them was ever worth it. He took a sip of bourbon, tipping his head back. He wished that the alcohol would wash away the pain, instead of just numbing the ache in his chest.
Gibbs slammed the jar down as droplets of yellowish liquid covered the bench and his tears fell as well. It had been years since he had cried. But his intoxication made this different. He wasn't himself when he drank, but it helped with the pain. Gibbs rested his head on his arms, hunched over the bench.
To Gibbs' surprise, he heard the footsteps of a familiar style of shoe. Big, platform boots. He slowly lifted his head, blinking slowly.
"Abs? What are you doing here?" Gibbs said as he sat upright.
"Gibbs.."
She took a step next to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Gibbs, I'm going to pretend you don't think I'd leave you be on a day like this. You need someone here with you."
"No I don't Abs."
"Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I refuse to leave you until you are feeling a little less miserable." Abby picked up some sand paper from the bench, and started smoothing out some wood, she didn't know what part of the boat this was, but it was going to be smooth.
"Gibbs, what was your first reaction, after, you know… finding out what happened?" Abby turned to him in all seriousness.
Gibbs rubbed his head, and then looked up to her.
"It was horrific. When I found out, I just wanted to know who would do that? Why? I wanted the bastard to feel the pain I felt. I wanted him to lose everything that mattered to him, too."
"I guess he did in the end." Abby looked up from the sandpaper.
"Why'd you do it Gibbs?"
"Like I said Abby, I wanted him to feel the pain I felt. At the time, it was all I wanted. Maybe I even saved a few people that day, people he was after."
Gibbs looked into the distance, and that's when the flashbacks started. Shannon, laughing, Kelly playing outside on a swing, then the newspaper article, the phone call, the investigators. It was all so overwhelming.