(A/N: I realize that Abby is slightly out of character here, but it's necessary for the story.)

Gibbs curses fluently at his cell phone before flipping it open and barking, "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Sorry, Boss but I need you back here ASAP. Abby's locked herself in her lab and we can't get her to open the doors."

"Well, patch me through to her, DiNozzo."

"She's cut off all outside links. I'm not sure what triggered her this time boss, but we need you here now."

Gibbs sighs in frustration, knowing that not just anything would send his forensic scientist into what the others lovingly called "meltdown mode."

"Alright DiNozzo I'll be there in four hours. Let me get cleaned up first."

"You alright boss? Didn't interrupt you during anything important did I?" Tony's slight joking tone falters at Gibbs response.

"Just talking to my mother DiNozzo."

Tony's quiet as he realizes what Gibbs just told him. "Sorry boss. I'll let the others know you're on your way."

Tony hangs up and Gibbs sighs in defeat. Laurie looks at him, knowing that their private interlude is over. He gives her a brief sit-rep, before escorting her to the car and driving them back to town. He tells her on the way in that he'll be back later that night. He just needs to get Abby out of her lab.

"I could teleport you there."

"No, but thank you. I want you to stay here with dad for a few hours, get to know my old man. I'll be back tonight and you'd better be here waiting for me."

"I can come back with you."

"No, I need to know that at least one of us is somewhat relaxing tonight."

"Okay." At her downcast tone, he steps back to her side. "Hey, I need you here. I need to know that you're safe with dad. Or maybe that he's safe with you."

"You do know how to stroke a girl's ego, Jet."

He gives her a grin that could only be described as sexy as he tells her, "If I get there early enough I can get back to you and be stroking more than your ego."

She grins back at him, not bothering to tell him that with teleportation they could be there, get Abby out and have the entire evening ahead of them. She lets him go, lightly stroking the back of his neck in a reminder of what will be waiting for him when he returns.

She looks at the car, sees he's missing something vital and asks him to wait another five minutes. She's back in three with a full cup of hot steaming coffee and a thermos of more. He gives her a quick kiss of thanks before sliding behind the wheel and screeching out of town.

"That boy never did know the meaning of town driving." Jack is waiting beside her, a cup of tea in his hands.

"It's alright, I wouldn't want him any other way." Laurie smiles at the man beside her and loops her arm through his as he escorts her back inside.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs smiles at the image in his rear view mirror, his dad leading his…wife. Gibbs pauses a moment to think about that word. He is …he is married. He can actually savor the words married and wife again. He's not feeling trapped like he did when he married then divorced his last three wives. Stephanie, Diane and Kassandra. He groans when he thinks of Kassandra and Diane. Those two alone had cost him more in alimony than he cared to remember. As for Stephanie, he's hoping that she's finally found the happiness that he'd been unable to give her.

He's tempted to turn around and go back to Jack's so that he can spend the rest of the weekend with Laurie, but too many years as a Marine, and then as the leader of the NCIS teams keeps him on the road.

Four hours later, he pulls into the Navy Yard sighing as he wonders just what is wrong with Abby now. He gets into the elevator and hits the button that will take him to Abby's lab. Reaching the lab, he looks around, wondering what's wrong when it hits him…Abby's playing a funeral dirge.

Gibbs rolls his eyes as he imagines what he's going to find next. Sure enough, Abby is sitting in her lab, hunched over one of the computers as she stares blankly at the screen. Gibbs knocks once then uses the key that only he and Vance have. There are some privileges to being the assistant director after all.

He walks in and turns down the music. Abby doesn't even bother turning around. "Hey Gibbs, you know that she's trying to trap you into marriage now? The ceremony that you described to Tony the other day is a bonding ceremony. There are ways out of it though, I'm researching them now."

Leroy Jethro Gibbs stares at his forensic scientist in disbelief. He'd told her weeks ago to drop any investigations into Laurie and her background. Fury starts to cloud his mind and he can hear a faint *Jet?* in the corner of his mind where that bond Abby is talking about is forming.

"You're suspended. Pack up and leave this building, I don't want to see you in here for the next two weeks."

Abby smiles at him, clearly not taking him seriously. "Come on Gibbs, who you gonna get to take my place? I keep telling you that she's not the right person for you. You're gonna believe me one of these days; maybe when she hits you up for that fourth alimony payment."

Red doesn't begin to describe what he's seeing. He flips his phone open and speed dials Tony's phone, barking at the other man to get to Abby's lab and escort her off the Navy Yard.

Back in Stillwater, Laurie stops in midsentence and stares off into space before turning her attention back to Jackson. The older man tells her that if she needs to go, then to do so, and keep his son safe in the process. Laurie kisses him on the cheek and shakes her head. She'd promised Gibbs that she'd stay with his father and she's not about to break her word.

She smiles as she realizes that she can still help him even from Stillwater. She mentally contacts Holly Breaker and fills her in.

*I can take some lunches over there, give you a report once I'm in there.*

*Please, do so, he's so pissed off right now that red is a mild color.*

*On it boss, four meals coming up.*

Holly quickly boxes up four lunches and heads for the Navy Yard. As she and Tim have been seeing each other for almost a month now, the guards are used to seeing her and wave her in after the usual search.

The elevator dings as she steps in and she sees Tony escorting Abby out of the elevator. Not wanting to get into the middle of anything, Holly waits until the other two have passed before getting on the elevator and pushing the button for the bullpen.

When the elevator dings, Ziva and Tim both look up expecting to see Tony or Gibbs. Holly smiles as she sees recognition dawn in their eyes.

"Hey guys, my boyfriend works here and I was wondering if he'd like some lunch."

Tim quickly rounds his desk and helps her unload the boxes onto Tony's desk. Ziva sniffs at the boxes appreciatively and Holly hands her the top one.

"I remembered that you liked Chicken Alfredo. Hope it works for lunch."

"You did well, considering we have not met for almost a month." Ziva's not trying to accuse, but to compliment Holly for remembering. Holly nods at her.

"It's one of the requirements that we all have when we start at the restaurants. Pick a few clients and remember their favorite dishes so that all they have to do is smile and we know what they want."

"What if they change their minds and order something else?"

"It's usually an easy fix. We try not to overplay the favorite thing, but we know for example that Tony would prefer a thick crust pizza with pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese. He likes the meat lasagna and will occasionally eat the vegetarian lasagna if the company he's with doesn't want to compromise."

"Wow, you got that from a few visits from us?"

"That's one reason that Laurie's successful. She remembers her clientele. They in turn remember that she cares enough to find out what they like and she knows within five visits what you don't like too."

"How did you two ever meet?"

By now they're all gathered around Tony's desk eating the lunches that Holly had brought. Gibbs enters the room, and stops when he sees the blonde head that resembles the woman that he'd left in Stillwater. Ziva glances up and nudges Tim with her knee, letting him know that Gibbs is in the room.

Tony exits the elevator and sniffs the air. He smiles at the team gathered around his desk, but his steps falter when he sees Gibbs just standing there, in the middle of the room, looking for lack of a better word, lost.

Tim's eyes connect with Tony's for just a split second. At a slight nod from Tony, Tim stands up and offers Gibbs his chair. The older man comes over and sits down and the team finishes their meal. Once they're all finished, Gibbs looks at Holly, wondering why she'd come.

"Laurie promised you that she'd stay with your father. She didn't say she wouldn't provide backup for you."

Tim looks at Tony who says, "Guess that means you're part of her team now boss. Or she's part of our team."

Gibbs stares at them before heading upstairs to his office. He has to file the paperwork on Abby's suspension and he's not looking forward to the task. A soft knock at the door gets a lackluster, "Yeah, enter."

Tim steps in with a folder in hand. He hands it to Gibbs who opens it and reads in mild surprise the suspension letter he'd been trying to create in his mind. Tim stands aside to let Tony and Ziva in as he tells Gibbs, "She broke the rules boss. We all know it, and accept it. We stand behind you on this one hundred percent."

Tony and Ziva nod as they gather round Gibbs desk. The older man is slightly flabbergasted by the support of his MCRT. Before he can say anything, they all step forward and shake his hand, before heading back downstairs to the work they'd been neglecting. Tony stays behind, knowing that his boss is going to have some questions.

"She gone, Tony?"

"Yeah, Boss, I escorted her off the premises myself."

"I thought we had gotten through to her. That she was finally starting to accept Laurie as a permanent fixture in my life."

"Boss, I hate to tell you this, but Abby's kinda blind where you're concerned. She sees what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get things her way. She did it to Tim when they were still together and she's doing it to you too."

"Tony, that's a little harsh don't you think?"

"No, not since I took over the MCRT. I've had a chance to see what she does, how she operates and manipulates things so that you never had a chance to find love before now. Hell if it hadn't been for McGee's parents getting killed; you might never have met Laurie."

"Sure you don't wanna marry her DiNozzo?"

The sarcasm makes Tony flush with anger. "You know, if I had the ability to teleport I'd have gone against your wishes and been right here by your side to take Abby on. Instead that lady called in backup for you. She honored your wishes boss, how many of your other wives did that?"

Gibbs blinks at the tirade from his Senior Agent in Charge. Tony's actually glaring at him. There's a sound from the doorway and they both turn to see Ziva and Tim standing there.

"Tony is right Gibbs. Had it been any of us, we would have disregarded your orders and come back here." Ziva's dark expression is echoed by Tim's next words.

"Boss, they're right. We're your team, but I don't think any one of us would have been able to resist coming to your side. The fact that Laurie was able to do so, well, I'd say that means she not only knows how to follow orders, she knows how to backup her teammate too. It may not be an orthodox way of doing it, but she still had your six."

Gibbs smiles softly to himself as his team, his family defends Laurie. He puts his glasses on as he signs off on Abby's suspension. He sighs as he realizes they really don't have another forensic scientist on the team and looks at the others.

Tony is able to read his concern and hands him three files. When Gibbs looks at him Tony just shrugs and says that Tim had helped to find available personnel.

"We have your six Gibbs." Ziva's soft words are followed by nods from the other two agents. There's a knocking at the door and Holly peeks around. Gibbs sighs as he asks her, "How can we help you Holly?"

She steps into the room and hands him yet another file. "My boss says that since she's partially responsible for your forensic scientist getting suspended that this person might be able to fill for the few weeks that Abby'll be gone."

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A/N: Yes, I did leave it this way on purpose…I want reviews…lol.