A/N: Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews, hope you all enjoyed. This chapter is the last one. Big hugs again to Gosgirl for her help :)
Chapter 9 – Feels Like Home
Pulling up the driveway in Gibbs' truck Abby didn't feel the wave of nerves overtake her like she expected when she looked into the front window of his house. In the light of day and after her run in with Doctor Ryan, she felt surprisingly calm, more than likely helped by the man sitting beside her.
"Ready?" Gibbs asked, cutting the engine and turning to face her.
"More than ready," she answered holding out the keys in her hand.
They'd barely left her grasp since Gibbs had returned to her apartment to find Ryan there, Abby not only excited but also needing to tell herself over again that she wasn't imagining things. For her so much was invested in such a simple object, to Abby they were more than just keys...they were a sign of Gibbs' commitment to her and a means of bringing them even closer together.
She could see the amusement in Gibbs' eyes as she practically bounced beside him, his willingness to let her indulge in the significance of the moment not lost on her. This was one of the reasons they were so perfect together, and something that Ryan would never understand; they knew what made each other happy and allowed one another to revel in that joy. A smile was worth so much to both of them, and they were prepared to do anything to keep the happiness alive.
Gibbs got out of the truck and walked around to open the door for Abby, leaning in to kiss her gently before taking hold of her free hand. She slid off the seat and managed to pull him to her for a quick hug as he closed the door behind her, Abby moaning her appreciation at the feel of his hard muscles against her. Keeping her arms around him she kissed up the side of his neck and along his jaw while Gibbs tried to shuffle her backwards away from the truck towards the door.
When they staggered and almost fell over, Abby giggled and moved out of his arms, turning around so she could see where she was going. As they walked further up the pathway to Gibbs' front door, Abby's mind flickered to the scene she'd witnessed the night before...Ryan perched on the arm of the couch, and her smug grin as she drank Gibbs' beer.
In hindsight it all seemed like a set up, a test, something that Ryan was entirely capable of. She'd found out Abby's address and no doubt had contacts all over D.C. so the idea that she'd used any means possible to try and get Gibbs to break things off with Abby now seemed incredibly likely.
Last night Abby had played right into her hands but Gibbs had been the one who had surprised them all. Not because of his faithfulness to Abby but because he'd fought so hard for them to stay together and had been willing to give up his own pride to save hers.
Abby wondered if that had upset Ryan; seeing how determined Gibbs was to fight for their relationship now when he clearly hadn't been willing to do it for Ryan months ago. The older woman had severely underestimated the bond that had formed between Abby and Gibbs over the years and how that connection had transformed into something deeper.
Given her history with Gibbs, Ryan more than likely had assumed he would just give up on what he had with Abby as easily as he had done when Ryan abandoned him. Whether she expected him to put all relationships in the too hard basket, giving her the perfect opportunity to strike, Abby didn't know. But what she did know was that Ryan had seriously misjudged Gibbs and what he was capable of.
The Gibbs that Abby knew was completely different to the Gibbs that Ryan believed she understood. Her repeated attempts to get him to talk by using blackmail showed just how little Ryan wanted to be there for him, her own selfish gain had been the only reason she wanted Gibbs to open up.
The fact that Gibbs hadn't retreated, hadn't put up walls to try and keep Abby out, and because he didn't feel the need to protect himself from her, was proof of how much stronger their relationship was compared with anything he had with Ryan.
Whether Gibbs suspected that Ryan's arrival had been planned Abby didn't know, but in the greater scheme of things it didn't really matter because he'd made it clear that Abby was the one he wanted. If Ryan made an appearance in their lives again it would merely be an annoyance and nothing more.
Squeezing Gibbs' hand Abby weaved her arm around his and leaned closer into his side. She pushed all thoughts of Ryan from her mind; today was about her and Gibbs, and about him opening his life to her.
"I know it's not exactly a carry me over the threshold kind of moment but I almost feel like you should be giving me a piggy back or something."
"Not sure my back can handle it after carrying you to bed last night," he smirked.
"That your way of telling me I need to cut down on the caf-pows?"
Gibbs stopped at the bottom of the steps and stood in front of her, the intensity of his eyes making it feel like time had stopped. "Nope, it's my way of telling you I'll carry you over the threshold properly soon enough."
Abby chewed at her bottom lip to try and hide both the shock and the thrill that ran through her, a quiet "okay," slipping out from between her lips when she rested her forehead against his.
She knew she was ready to move in with him, but Abby also knew Gibbs well enough to realize he was trying to look out for her...it wasn't that he wasn't sure about her moving all her stuff in, but as he'd done for years, Gibbs was putting her first.
"Okay," Gibbs repeated, sliding one of his hands around the back of her neck to kiss her.
When they broke apart Abby smiled and held her keys up between them.
"We should go inside before we give the neighbors a treat."
Gibbs nodded and followed her up the stairs to his front door. It felt right having her here like this, giving her the keys had been a relatively small step considering she had always been welcome at his house but as Abby had said, it was now beginning to feel like it was their home. In the not too distant future he'd ask her to stay permanently, when he felt sure she knew what she was getting herself into by living with him.
He moved up to stand behind her as Abby lifted the key and pushed it into the lock, his hands sliding over her stomach from behind and his chin resting on her shoulder. Although they'd walked through the front door many times together, this was different, it was special because Gibbs had made it special.
He'd made it about Abby, about them, and in a way it was a new start. It was a new chapter in their lives, one in which Gibbs had given her the key to so much more than his house. With just one simple gesture, he'd opened up every aspect of his life to her and invited her in and that was something she was going to grab onto with both hands and never let go of.
"You're always welcome here, Abbs, any time of day or night. What I have I'll share with you, no-one will ever take that, or me, away from you."
When Abby rested one hand on his arm, the other turned the key and pushed the door open. Her mind was flooded with the memories they'd already started to make together in the house; making dinner in the kitchen together, sitting on the couch snuggling while they watched tv, sitting at the table and talking through a case file, making love in his bed.
Nowhere in her memories did Ryan feature, as far as Abby was concerned that ghost had been laid to rest and they could get back to making plans for a life together.
Nudging her forward Gibbs' feet stepped outside hers and he shut the door behind them once they were both inside.
"Feel any different?" he asked, brushing his lips over her neck.
"It does, I feel...at peace," she turned in his arms watching for his reaction to her words. "Does that sound weird?"
"Nope, it sounds like you know where you belong. Here with me."
Abby couldn't help but be in awe of how things had changed since she was here the night before. In trying to tear Gibbs and her apart, Ryan had only made them stronger, and brought them closer together. Their relationship and the bond they'd formed through years of friendship and getting to know one another, being there for each other through the good and the bad, had been set in motion from the day they'd met.
Looking back Abby knew everything had been leading up to this, they were where they should be. Fate had taken it's time in bringing them together but now there would be no going backwards...only moving forward.
Parked across the street from Gibbs' house Doctor Ryan watched on intently as Gibbs and Abby walked from his truck to the front door. She sneered at the way they were oblivious to everything but each other, neither of them noticing her car nor the way she stared at them through the window. They kissed and touched one another openly, her appearance the day before seeming like the furthest thing from their minds.
Her interest peaked when they stalled at the front door, Gibbs wrapping his arms around Abby while she unlocked and opened the door. When they disappeared inside, Ryan had some idea from the way they'd been all over each other what they'd be doing.
It wouldn't last forever, and when it all fell apart around them Ryan would be there to pick up the pieces of Gibbs' heart. Whether it was tomorrow or in a couple of month's time, she'd be there waiting and she'd make Abby go through the same torment she was going through now.
Starting up her car Ryan drove off down the street, adamant that what she had with Gibbs would one day pick up where it left off.
The End.
