Ch 2.

Sorry so long…once it started it just flowed.

Thanks to all the wonderful reviews! They made me want to add more today!

AS ALWAYS: I OWN NOTHING!

Abby had just laid down for a short nap around 2:00 am, she had went back down to her lab as soon as she knew everyone had left and worked on some more cataloguing of evidence. Granted, this was not something that had to be done right away, but the fact that she was doing this mainly to prove a point to Gibbs. She was an adult, and who be it to tell her what to do. Her cell phone's alarm clock went off at 4:00, giving her just enough time to run to the closest 24 hr gas station for a caff-pow quick boost and then change clothes and come in around 6am with the rest of the gang. "AWWW!" Abby sighed as she stretched her cramped up legs and shoulders out. The third floor was in the process of being renovated, so there was little furniture to choose from for napping on, finally Abby had found a old office that still had a couch. As Abby started towards the elevator her phone started rapidly alerting her to missed calls. "Oh, crap! There must have been no reception up here." Abby opened her screen and saw that the messages were from Gibbs. "OH, God, I am in deep now! " As Abby listened to Gibbs question as to why her car was there at the navy yard on her messages, she could tell from the tone in his voice that he was terrified that something had happened to her. "Think Abby, Think!" Abby said aloud to herself. " Well, what if… Got it!" Abby quickly sent a quick text to Gibbs, "Phone had died during night, must be internal shift of battery posts, sorry to worry you, car broke down and had to call friend to pick up. See you at 6!" Little did Abby know that McGee was actively tracing all incoming and outgoing signals from her phone.

"Hey, Boss!" McGee yelled out at the same time, Gibbs phone rang with a text message. "It's from Abby…and wait….this is wrong…this can't be right….I…"

"What is it McGee? Gibbs rushed over to stand behind McGee and look over his shoulder as he threw his phone down on McGee's desk. "And find out how to open the damn text messages on this piece of ….." Gibbs was interrupted as McGee rechecked the location of Abby's phone.

"Boss, it says that this text was sent from inside NCIS ." McGee said as Tony came and stood on the other side of him.

"Maybe you missed a keystroke or two, McTypo!" Tony said with a grin.

"No!...No Tony I am sure, even now it is pinging her location as here. But…" McGee stammered but stood adamant in his answer.

"McGee can you pull up the new camera we had installed in the lab," Gibbs barked out as his gut went from worried to a uneasy sense of anger.

"New one Gibbs?" Ziva asked. Abby never spoke of a new one in her lab.

"Well, Ziver, after the whole Reyonosa scare, I wanted a little extra security down there. Between Ari shooting into her lab and Chip attacking her in the lab, that is our weak spot with her, so I requested a newer more enhanced video system in their. Anyone have a problem?" Gibbs asked.

"No, No and No way," were all the answers he needed.

"Okay, here we are boss, what time frame." McGee asked as he pulled the images.

"Go back to about 2230 yesterday when I told her to go home." Gibbs ordered.

"Okay, rewinding back to …..here we are." McGee said as he stopped the video and watched and listened. "Sound boss?"

"Yep!"

"Well no more lunch time quick…..OW!" Tony started but was cut off from completing his little tidbit by a quick headslap. "Back on track boss!"

All four heads were so deep into watching the video and listening to Abby talk herself into trouble that they failed to see the little pigtails lean around the corner at the top of the stairs. Abby had cautiously taken the stairs knowing that the elevator ding would alert anyone to her location. It was then as she listened to her family go from relieved that nothing had happened to her to pissed off and angry.

Gibbs just stood silently and headed back to his desk. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt the uncontrollable feeling of wanting to strangle on little girl. "Just wait until we find you lil' miss." Gibbs spoke with his eyes closed, but quickly glanced up at the platform above, his old sniper senses were always alert. "McGee location again! NOW!" Gibbs yelled out as he started towards the stairs.

"Wait! Damn Abby! Boss it says that her signal is moving in this building, it is difficult to lock on a direct GPS with the inconsistent signals we have in parts of the older building." McGee stated.

Gibbs stopped at the top of the stairs and stared down at his three oldest 'kids'. "Well….what are you waiting for …Abby wants to play hide and seek, game on! Go! If any of you come across her before I do, DO NOT LET HER OUT OF GRIP UNTIL I GET HER! ARE WE CLEAR!"

A trio of yes's was all he heard as he rounded the corner to where Abby once was and then headed for the stairwell.

Abby quickly darted up the stairs and was at the far end of the hallway when she heard the ding of the elevator. "I'm on third will clear and then head down." Tony said as he closed his phone. "Abby! Abigail Scuito, are you up here! What in the hell are you thinking! Abby!" Tony continued to yell as he opened each door and searched before heading down to the next door. It was when he heard the tell-tale sound of a door closing he knew that he had her on the run. "Can't run from Big Bro!" Tony said as he ran towards the stairwell, opening the door, he yelled, "Ready or not….here comes TONY!"

Abby made a bee-line to her lab, hoping to get there and lock her doors before anyone thinks of going in there, but as she peeped her head through the glass pane in the stairwell door she saw McGee and Ziva heading into her lab. "Do you really think she is dumb enough to hide in here McGee?" Ziva asked with a sense on irritation. I was in a deep sleep when I was awoken to participate in this geese chase! Some time I think…."

"It's goose chase, and you are not the only one that was asleep, but I think that Abby only thinks of Abby. And yes, Abby would think that this would be the last place that we would look for her since it is her lab. In her mind this was a test from Gibbs, she did not think this through, but I can guarantee you one thing…..Gibbs will pass this test with flying colors!"

"Yeah, but Abby is the one that will be wearing the color, red on her ass after this stunt!" Ziva said as she checked the ballistics lab.

Abby had silently cracked the door to try to hear what they were saying, she only caught bits and pieces, but it was enough for her to see just how much trouble she was in, that only left one place left to go. Abby quickly darted past her lab door as she saw that McGee and Ziva her searching into her office and ballistics lab. Abby quickly entered another stairwell and made her way into the back entrance of the dark room. Abby scanned the room from window pane in the door and sensing no movement, she cautiously opened the door and stepped into autopsy. She was halfway across the room when a small desk light flicked on an a soft voice spoke.

"Hiding out?"

"Oh, that goodness it's just you Ducky… I mean not just you as in you are not good enough…but just you as…..I mean you are perfect and all but…" Abby rambled.

"Ahhh, my dear Abigail, you are not the first one of the kids to attempt to fine refuge down here. I noticed the commotion when I entered the building and from what I can deduce, you decided to pull an all-nighter in an attempt to finish up work." Ducky was slowly walking towards Abby as he talked, he knew that she knew what she did was wrong, but she had to process the why.

"Yeah….Yeah that is right Ducky. I mean, Gibbs tried to tell me to go home, and now that I think about it, he is not my direct superior in the chain of command. In actuality I only answer to Leon when it comes to work. So Gibbs had no right to tell me to go home, and I decided it was in the best interest of NCIS for me to finish my work." Abby said with an air of confidence as she worked this out in her head. She straightened her shoulders and held her head high as she felt justified.

"Ahhhh, yes. So it was Gibbs in boss mode that told you to go home?" Ducky asked.

"Well yeah….Oh!" Abby's now straightened shoulders now sunk down a little as she remembered the parting words from Gibbs.

"Oh? What my dear?" Ducky could now see that Abby was processing this in a different frame of mind.

"Um…." Abby started to chew on the inside of her bottom lip. " Well, actually when I question why I should do what he said….to myself, Ducky, I didn't realize he could even hear me…..which I should have known….he has these weird abilities.." Abby rambled.

"Abigail…." Ducky said as he tried to steer her conversation back on track.

"I mean as he was getting on the elevator he answered back….OH I AM DEAD!" It was then that Abby realized what exactly Ducky had been trying to get her to see. Abby slid into the chair that was in front of the desk, head hung down low.

"What did he say Abigail?" Ducky asked as he gently reached down and pulled her face up to look him in the eyes.

Abby's normally sparkly green eyes were now filled with unshed tears. " He answered my question of who does he think he is with….DAD…..my question of why with…..because I care…." Tears started to fall down her face as she realized just how scared Gibbs must have been when he heard that her car had been found empty and there was no trace of her. "And…And….OH, Ducky I screwed up so bad…I mean I am literally toast."

"Why are you so tearful now Abigail, how bad can it be?" Ducky asked, but deep down knew what he expected the answer to be.

"He…He… answered my last question of why should I with…..with….HICCUP!...because you don't want to ride home on a sore assss!" Abby wailed out as she threw her head in her hands and cried.

"Sweet Abigail, you know that Gibbs would never do you any bodily harm that he did not think you could take? Has he ever punished you in a way that seemed heavy-handed?" Ducky used that specific terminology hoping to get Abby past this fear. " I can talk to him and let him know that you feel like you are being treated unfairly."

"N..N…No!" Abby jumped to her feet. "I mean I hate it when he punishes me but, afterwards I see his point. But this time, I may have gone too far…I mean…..This was just petty of me….I can't face him…I mean he will be so mad…..what if he….he…..hates me now! I caused all of the team to get up, I scared them so bad…..I mean….what if they can't forgive me….. I am such trouble….." Abby sunk back into the chair and let her true fear out. "Ducky….?" Abby looked up into his blue eyes and asked the question that had been eating at her for a long time. "Do you think this was why my real parents didn't want me? Did they have a feeling I was going to be too much?" Abby cried quietly. Abby had been so into her talk with Ducky she had failed to see her three siblings standing in the doorway, overhearing her whole talk, fear and all. He had saw Tony notify Gibbs of locating Abby and could see Gibbs shadow in the corner near the back entrance. He knew that they had all heard Abby's confession. Ducky just looked into Tony's eyes and could see he was wanting so desperately wanting to rush in and comfort her, but he had originally shook his head, silently tell Tony and the other to wait. Now that the whole truth was out, Ducky nodded and watched as Abby's three 'siblings' rushed over to her and put the arms around her.

Abby was startled by the sudden feeling of multiple arms wrapping around her. She was jolted into the present time and started to stand up to try to run, but Tony quickly wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug, picked her up and sat her on one of the clean autopsy tables. Abby just dropped her head to chest and waited. She took a deep breath, anxiously awaiting the stream of yelling and cursing that she knew she deserved. It was then that she felt one body hop to the left of her and one more hop up to the right of her. She then felt a large hand gently grip her chin and tip it up. Abby looked into the eyes of her big brother and silently let the tears roll down her face.

Tony took a deep breath, this was not going to be easy or pretty but, he was sure it needed to be done. "Abigail Scuito-GIBBS! HOW DARE YOU…."

"I know! I know! It was stupid, selfish, horrible…" Abby started to try to describe just how bad she felt about the whole hiding out thing.

"Damn right! You should know by know that as many adventures as we have had together….that I could hate you!" Tony ground out, sometimes he wondered if he had ever gave Abby the impression that this family was permanent thing.

Abby was sharply hit to the left by McGee. "Same here Abs! Ticked off but never hate!" McGee said with a small hug.

Abby then felt a sharp sting the back of her head coming from her right. Ziva hid a quick grin, as she said, " Abby, you know more of my past than anyone else. "

"What?" Tony asked.

"Sister things, need to know only." Ziva answered back.

"Well maybe I need to know." Tony said with a slight grin.

Ziva just rolled her eyes and continued on. " You know my family's history. You know how I felt…abandoned…twice. But you must know that I would never hate you. Yes, I would personally love to kick your ass right now, but that is for someone else. But you have to know that I…." Ziva looked over to McGee with a nod, and at Tony with a nod and continued. " That we LOVE you…just like brothers and sisters do. That love is a FOREVER love. It gives us the right to screw up and be corrected, but never lose the love."

"Yeah and the whole…giving you up idea…bad seed thing…you know that's not true." Tony finished as he saw a movement in the back shadows. "Abby, you are our little sister not by birth,…but by our choice. We chose this family….and this family sticks." Tony reached in towards Abby to lay a quick kiss and then a slight headslap. "That was for dragging my ass out of bed to play hide and seek. If you really want to play we can do it after work!" Tony stepped back and nodded his head to the back of the room, letting his other sibling know that dad was present and ready for his turn.

Abby noticed the subtle nod and squeezed each of their hands. " I love all my brothers and sister…and I don't think I have said this yes…but I REALLY AM SORRY!" Each just pecked her cheek as they stood and walked towards the door, leaving Gibbs and Abby to hash out the rest of this. As they were passing through the sliding doors they heard a yell, "No new information, go crash on Abby's futon and emergency air beds for a while. I will alert you when something new comes in!"

Abby took a long deep breath, dropped her head to her chest in a show of contriteness and waited for the next storm to start. She knew that this storm had a name, Hurricane Gibbs, she just hoped when he was done with there would be something left.

Gibbs silently stood before his youngest daughter, hurt filling his chest, tears slowly pooling in his eyes as he slowly used his calloused hand to gently raise Abby's face to look at him. All he could start with was, " Abby, how could you think that?"

TBC?

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews…keep them coming.