Chapter Nine: Decisions
Rule #9: Never go anywhere without a knife.
"We have to talk," Gibbs told Abby the next morning after they were done eating breakfast and the dishes had been cleared away.
Gloria and Luka were at the hospital getting Ben checked out while Abby and Gibbs had stayed behind to make sure the house was ready for him.
Abby had been sitting on the couch in the living room, hugging a pillow and hoping this moment wouldn't come. She set the pillow down on the coffee table and sighed. "Okay."
Gibbs came over and sat down on the couch beside her, but far enough away so that she still felt alone. She could hear him breathing. It usually comforted her, but right at that moment it was slightly terrifying.
"I could've explained things better."
Abby glanced over at him. "You think?" she asked sarcastically.
"Truth was, I hadn't decided for sure I was gonna ask until I saw this." Gibbs placed one of Abby's ultrasound pictures on the table in front of them. "Kinda made up my mind for me."
Abby took a deep breath. "I don't understand."
"You can't hide forever. Sooner or later you have to go back home." Gibbs leaned back, looking more casual than his words were revealing him to be. "And as much as I'd like to, I can't just go beat the stuffing out of that bastard Mawher. Or kill him."
That really shouldn't have made Abby smile, but she couldn't quite help herself.
"I had a buddy who came back from Desert Storm to a pregnant wife." Gibbs paused, then added, "He'd been gone for over a year."
"Oh." Abby wrinkled her nose. "That must have been a shock."
"Yeah. They gave it a try, but the marriage was already falling apart. They didn't get divorced though until after the baby was born, and when the subject of child support came up the judge told my buddy he had to pay. That the law in their state was that a husband was the father, no matter what."
Abby could see where this was going, but she didn't say anything. She needed to hear it from Gibbs. She needed to hear him say it. Hear him say that the only reason he wanted to marry her was to keep her safe.
And the worst part was she wasn't sure there was any other way to do it.
Gibbs shrugged. "Got to thinking about it."
Nope, he wasn't going to make things easy. "I could just go back home and deal with things myself," Abby suggested, trying to give him an out. "The restraining order will make a good case for supervised visitation."
"A restraining order is a useless piece of paper," Gibbs snapped. "Did it stop him from breaking into your apartment? From slashing your tires?"
Abby stared at him. "How did you find that out?"
"I put my best nerd on the case."
Abby sighed. "All right, lets say I agree to your proposition. So, we get married, you put your name on the birth certificate, then what?"
Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Nothing has to change if you don't want it to."
Abby took a deep breath. "So, this would be a marriage of convenience?" She squirmed a little in her seat. Somehow she'd managed to avoid using the 'm' word during the rest of the conversation. Using it suddenly made everything so much more serious.
"It'd be whatever you want it to, Abby." His firm voice sent a shiver down her spine. He wasn't saying what she thought he was saying, was he?
She nodded slowly. "Didn't think you ever planned on getting married again."
"I didn't," Gibbs told her honestly. "But there's some things you can't plan for."
Gibbs was right. Lord knows Abby had never planned on any of this. Not having a crazy stalker for an ex-boyfriend, or having a baby with said crazy stalker of an ex-boyfriend, and last of all, not having one of the kindest men you'd ever known offer to marry you to save her from him.
Abby jutted her chin out. "What if I said I wanted it to be a real marriage?" she asked, hoping her voice projected the confidence she couldn't quite muster up, fully expecting Gibbs to close down, for this to end the conversation.
She should have known better.
Instead, Gibbs leaned closer to her, until she could feel his warm breath caressing her face. "That what you want?" he asked slowly.
She tried to get her heartbeat under control. She was very conscious of every breath she took, every movement as Gibbs stared unwaveringly into her eyes.
"Yes."
Before the word was even finished Gibbs lips were on hers, pressing, burning, tasting. He slid one calloused hand around the back of her neck and held her lips firmly against his as he plundered her mouth.
Abby felt like she was drowning and he was the only thing keeping her head above water. She let every word she was too afraid to say pour into their kiss, until there was no thoughts left except the feeling of his lips moving against hers.
Gibbs pulled back slowly, their lips finally parting with a soft 'popping' noise. At some point his other hand had slid around her waist and was holding her firmly against his body, their foreheads resting together. "Let me take care of you," he whispered. "Both of you."
"'Kay," Abby heard herself saying. She was about to melt into a puddle when she felt a firm poke from inside her belly.
Gibbs froze, his eyes dropping down to her stomach, which was pressed against his side. "Was that?" he murmured, looking stunned.
"I guess he agrees." Abby rested her forehead against Gibbs shoulder. "You're sure about this?" she couldn't stop herself from asking.
"Ya really need more proof?" Gibbs asked incredulously.
She giggled. "I guess not."
She felt him stiffen after a few minutes, and was going to ask what the matter was when he let the hand on the back of her neck fall to her stomach.
He cupped her belly with his hand and let his thumb stroke back and forth over her shirt. "If we do this," Gibbs said softly, pushing her away so he could look her in the eye, "I'll be his father. If things change and you want out of the marriage, that's fine, I won't stop you, but I need your word that you'll never take him away from me."
"Of course not!" Abby couldn't imagine a time coming when she wouldn't want Gibbs around, but she could sense that he needed this reassurance. "No matter what. He'll be legally yours, remember?"
Gibbs swallowed.
Now Abby needed some reassurance. "You're sure?" she whispered. "You're sure you want to be a father again?"
More than anything in the world, Gibbs thought, but the words stuck in his throat. Instead, he simply nodded. "I'm sure."
xxx
Keeping anything from Abby's family would be near impossible with them all under the same roof, so Gibbs and Abby agreed they would tell everyone the change in their relationship status over lunch.
Ben still looked rather weak when he arrived, but oh so happy to be home. Luka and Gloria stood on either side of him, not quite propping him up, more making sure he wasn't too wobbly as he walked through the house. He beamed when he saw his daughter waiting for him and let them settle him in his recliner.
"Hey, Daddy," Abby said, signing simultaneously and perching on the arm of the recliner. Gibbs smiled as he watched, fairly sure this was a common occurrence, probably dating back to when Abby was a little girl.
Good to be home, Ben signed, leaning back in his chair with a sigh.
Abby kissed him on the top of the head and beamed.
Luka made a production out of sniffing the air. "What smells so good?" he asked Abby.
Abby was in the process of lightly combing Ben's hair back with her fingers when she answered. "Meatloaf and mashed potatoes," she told him.
Gloria, who had been close enough to read Abby's lips, frowned. What will you eat? she asked her daughter.
Meatloaf. Abby smiled at her mom. I've been craving meat through most of this pregnancy.
Oranges, Gloria signed, looking amused. With you it was oranges and with Luka it was milk. I drank almost a gallon a day until he was born.
I forgot about that.
Abby was still smiling. She looked happy enough to burst and Gibbs chose to believe a tiny bit of that happiness was because of him.
Ben opened his eyes in time to catch the tail end of their conversation. Forgot about what? he asked.
How much milk I drank when I was carrying Lukas, Gloria reminded him.
Ben turned to Gibbs. I was terrified she was going to run off with the milkman, he teased.
Abby stood up and turned her back to her parents so they couldn't read her lips. "When should we tell them?" she asked Gibbs as she stood in front of him. She wasn't sure she could wait until after lunch.
Luka tilted his head and gave Gibbs a "huh?" look from behind her. "You do remember that I'm not deaf, right sis?"
Abby's eyes widened. "Crap, I forgot you were in the room." She turned back around and gave Luka a sheepish smile. The happy however, was leaking right out of her as Gibbs watched, being replaced with something that looked suspiciously like nerves.
"How about we tell them now?" Gibbs suggested with a smile on the edge of his lips. Ben and Gloria were eyeing all of them now with amusement and curiosity.
Abby glanced back at him, busy chewing a hole in her lip. Gibbs could see the nervousness practically seeping out of her pores. It was funny, in the lab, Abby was never nervous. She was the queen of outgoing but put her back in her parents house and she looked like a scared little girl.
Gibbs used his thumb to disengage Abby's teeth from her lip before she drew blood. She looked up at him, her eyes begging him to take over.
"Abby and I have something to announce," Gibbs said, putting his arm around her shoulders and tugging her into his side.
Ben met Gibbs gaze and gave him a thumbs up, which made him laugh. Abby frowned up at him, but he just kissed her forehead. "Abby has done the pleasure of agreeing to marry me."
Luka's jaw dropped open. "What?" he gasped, staring at them both. "You guys are getting married?"
Abby glanced up at Gibbs and smiled. "Yeah, we're getting married."
Ben beamed proudly. I'm so happy for you both, he signed.
Gloria had her hand over her mouth, looking shocked but pleased. Her eyes were brimming with happy tears.
She finally gave in? Ben signed, smiling at Gibbs.
Gibbs laughed. "Yeah, she finally gave in." He gave Abby's shoulders a squeeze and then let go, so he could sign again as he spoke, knowing Ben and Gloria were more comfortable with signing than reading lips.
"When did this happen?" Luka asked, signing as he spoke. "How did this happen?"
Abby glanced at Gibbs, her eyes looking to him for an answer. He wanted to throw back his head and laugh. Abby didn't know what to say? That had to be a first.
"I asked her a day ago," he told the astonished Luka, "but she made me sweat it out a little. Didn't say yes until this morning."
Congratulations, Gloria signed. I have no idea when any of this happened, but I'm so happy for you both. Abby, I told you he was a keeper!
Abby laughed a little. Gibbs felt her move a little closer to him, clearly taking strength in his presence.
When are you going to have the wedding? Ben signed.
Gibbs nudged Abby. They had been talking about it right before everyone got there, and both agreed it made sense to get married as soon as possible, in case Mikel did attempt to get custody. The sooner they were in an established relationship, the less likely a judge would ever order a paternity test.
"We're going to go get the marriage license today if we can." Abby's hands were shaking a tiny bit as she signed. "If we can get a judge to waive the waiting period, we were thinking maybe tomorrow?"
Tomorrow? Both Gloria and Ben signed, nearly in perfect synchrony.
Luka was shaking his head and laughing. "Tomorrow? You guys really are nuts."
Why so fast? Gloria wanted to know.
Gibbs took pity on Abby and took that question. "We don't want to wait, and Abby wants you guys to be there. We were planning on heading home in a couple days, so it just seemed to make sense to do it before we leave. "
"Don't you have any family you want to be there?" Luka asked him, looking genuinely confused.
Gibbs tensed. "No," he told him. "I don't have any family."
After that Gloria mostly took over the conversation, signing so fast about flowers and dresses that he could hardly keep up. She had Abby relaxed and chattering within a few minutes and he just stood back and watched them talk.
"Gibbs?" Luka had gotten up off the couch to let Abby sit near her mother. He gestured for Gibbs to follow him into the other room.
"Yeah?" Gibbs asked when they were out of Abby's earshot, and Ben and Gloria's vision.
Luka was suddenly serious. "You're marrying her because of the baby, aren't you?"
"I'm marrying her because I love her," Gibbs stated, narrowing his eyes. He hated what Luka was implying, even if it was a large part of the reason. Abby deserved to have her family believe they were madly in love, even if things were more complicated than that.
"I'm not stupid." Luka shook his head at him. "If you just wanted to marry her you could have done it any time."
Gibbs was trying not to let Abby's little brother piss him off. He wasn't entirely succeeding. "Would you rather we just live together?"
"Maybe." Luka crossed his arms. "I mean, all right, no, I wouldn't rather that. But I don't want you doing this out of pity. Abby's been half in love with you for years. I won't let you take advantage of that."
Damn, now he had to respect the kid. He was just trying to protect his sister's feelings, and Gibbs couldn't blame him for that. "Look," he said slowly, "all I can tell you is that Abby and I talked about a lot of things this morning. We both laid out exactly what we want out of this marriage and agreed to the terms."
Luka nodded slowly.
"And," Gibbs took a deep breath, "I really do love her, Luka."
"I know you do," Luka said after a moment, to his surprise. "I just wanted to make sure you loved her enough to fight for her." He left Gibbs alone in the room feeling a little stunned.
Luka was a good kid. Gibbs kinda wanted to punch him at that exact moment, but he was a good kid watching out for his big sister, and Gibbs was secretly proud of him.
xxx
As they lay in bed that night, Abby couldn't stop thinking about the expression on Gibbs' face when Luka asked if he had any relatives he wanted to invite to the wedding. He'd told them he didn't have any relatives, but she could tell that there was something he was holding back.
She'd never heard him talk about anyone in his family, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. He hadn't told her about Shannon and Kelly either. She knew his mom was dead, Jenny had mentioned that once, but for all she knew there was an entire clan of Gibbses out there.
"Gibbs?" she asked softly. She was laying on her side, facing away from him, reading a book on her Kindle. She hadn't even changed pages in ten minutes or so, she'd been so deep in thought.
"Yeah, Abbs?" Gibbs was reading as well, sitting up and laying against a few pillows propped against the headboard.
She took a deep breath. "Do you really not have any family, or were you just saying that because you didn't want them at the wedding?" She wanted desperately to turn around and see his face, but didn't think she'd be able to bear it if she looked and he was mad at her. She loved Gibbs, but it was hard to know what might set him off sometimes.
"Does it matter?" he asked gruffly.
Abby thought about it before answering. "I'd just like to know."
"I still get together with one of Shannon's cousins from time to time," Gibbs said slowly. "And my father's still alive."
"He is?" Abby rolled onto her back and stared up at Gibbs in surprise. "I've never heard you mention him before."
Gibbs looked down at her. "We don't get along much," he said finally. "Haven't talked in a long time."
Abby frowned. "How long a time?"
"'Bout ten years," Gibbs confessed.
"Ten years?" Abby pushed herself up into a seated position. "You haven't spoken to your father in ten years?"
Gibbs shook his head.
She did the math in her head. "You two haven't spoken since just after Shannon died."
It wasn't a question, so Gibbs didn't answer. She didn't expect him to, but the look of concern on her face was genuine.
Abby couldn't imagine not speaking to her father for ten years. What if they hadn't been speaking when Ben had his heart attack? He could have died before she'd been able to see him again. Abby didn't think she'd ever be able to get over something like that.
Gibbs sighed. "Spit it out, Abbs."
"What if he dies?" Abby exclaimed, not missing a beat. "What if he dies and you haven't talked to him for ten years?"
Gibbs was silent.
"My dad could have died," Abby said, softer this time.
Gibbs stretched his arm over her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. She settled her ear against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. She knew this was probably one of the top five things Gibbs did not want to talk about, but she just couldn't let it go.
"Where does he live?" she asked.
"Stillwater, Pennsylvania," Gibbs replied.
Abby thought about this for a moment. "I want to meet him," she announced.
Gibbs arms tensed slightly. "Why?" he asked finally.
"He'll be my father-in-law," Abby said. "And he's gonna be a grandpa in a few months. Don't you think he deserves to know that?"
Gibbs didn't say anything.
"Please?" Abby said after a few minutes. "It would really mean a lot to me."
Gibbs sighed. "Don't know if he would even want to see me."
She tried not to look too happy. He hadn't said no. "Then lets just show up. We'll fly or drive there before going back to D.C. If he doesn't want to see us, we'll just go home sooner, that's all."
"Don't want him to hurt your feelings," Gibbs said.
Abby made a rude noise with her mouth. "If you haven't hurt my feelings by now, I think we're safe. Besides, I can take care of myself. I'm not breakable."
"No, you're just full of crazy pregnancy hormones," Gibbs said drolly.
Abby giggled. She was really starting to get used to this side of Gibbs, the man who smiled and joked much more than shouting and growling. He was fun.
"I might be chock full of crazy psycho pregnancy hormones," she told him, wagging a finger in his face, "but I can still take care of myself. And don't you forget it."
"And you don't forget that in a couple days it will officially be my job to take care of you, and that includes protecting you from my cranky father," Gibbs said right back.
Yes, Gibbs."
Gibbs wrinkled his forehead. "We're almost married now Abby, I think you can call me Jethro."
"Jethro." Abby tried the word out. It felt funny in her mouth, like when you take a bite of food that's gone bad but don't realize it until it's already in your mouth.
Gibbs nodded. "It is my name."
"Not Leroy?" she teased. "Ducky told me Diane called you Leroy."
His eyes narrowed.
"Leroy Jethro? LJ? Lee? Roy? Jet?" Abby was having way too much fun with this. "The J-Man? L to the J? He Who Builds Boats in His Basement?"
Gibbs had his arms crossed and looked less than amused. "Are you done?"
"Maybe." Abby grinned. "Jethro… I don't think I can do it."
"And why not?"
"It's weird!" Abby whined. "I've always called you Gibbs."
"Or Boss," he added, holding back a smile. "Or Sir."
"Or Ma'am," she reminded him.
"I'll start calling you Scuito," he threatened.
Abby wrinkled her nose. Funny, now that she thought about it, both she and Gibbs referred to most of their friends by their last names, at least part of the time, but he'd almost never called her Scuito. She didn't like it.
"I guess I could try calling you Jethro," she said, taking a deep breath. "Jethro."
"Abigail," Gibbs retorted.
She made a face. "Ugh, not Abigail either. I just want to be Abby. Just plain Abby."
No, beautiful Abby, Gibbs signed, making her blush.
xxx
Abby felt like she was going to hurl.
It would have been nice to have blamed all her nausea on the pregnancy, but she hadn't thrown up once since she found out she was pregnant. No, she was one of those people who didn't feel sick while she was pregnant, or at least not this time.
Not that she was thinking about another time. Or at least she hadn't been until that thought popped into her head. She took a moment away from dry heaving to give that idea a good ponder. Another baby, with Gibbs this time? Did she want more children? Did he? Did it make her completely and utterly insane to be thinking about this while she wasn't even halfway pregnant with her first baby?
Abby took a deep breath. Okay, she told herself, stop freaking out. The baby did a somersault inside of her and she glared down at her stomach. "Hey, you in there, you stop that. My stomach's doing enough flips on it's own."
She wasn't sure why she was so nervous. She'd been a nervous wreck when it came to telling her parents, but Gibbs had gotten her through it and it went fine. Therefore, she'd been cool as a cucumber when they went and applied for their marriage license, which actually took less time and effort than she'd expected.
She'd survived an expedited shopping trip for a dress with her mother the night before, which required a great deal of dodging of anything white and ruffly. She was sure she'd come out looking like a cupcake at once point, but Mellie had been on her side, so in the end she got a simple dress that she loved.
It wasn't black, because that might have given her mother a coronary, and she couldn't handle dealing with another parent with heart problems right now. Instead it was deep burgundy, with an empire waist to allow for her growing tummy. It was simple, but beautiful, and retained enough of her Gothic tastes so that she didn't feel like someone else in it. Instead she felt like herself, just a more elegantly dressed version of herself.
Since nothing else about their wedding was traditional, including the bride, Abby didn't hide the dress from Gibbs. Instead she'd come running into the house brandishing the garment bag and insisted on showing him, nearly sending her mother into heart palpitations.
She was beginning to think Gloria wasn't going to survive this wedding.
Luka had told them about a small chapel not far from where he worked, and even took on the job of finding a justice of the peace to agree to marry them on such short notice. He'd even surprised Gibbs and been the one to get a judge to waive the waiting period, citing Abby's pregnancy and their desire to marry in front of family as the reasons.
Everything had come together with an almost disturbing lack of problems in less than twenty-four hours. Maybe that was why she was nervous, she tried to convince herself. It was the lack of problems. She was waiting for something to go wrong.
But Abby knew that wasn't the reason.
It wasn't because she didn't want to marry Gibbs either, because she really did. Maybe it hadn't come about exactly the way she'd fantasized about it, and yes, okay, she had fantasized about it, but the man of your dreams riding in on a white horse to save you from the evil wizard? It was close enough to a fairytale.
And after that kiss… oh that kiss. Gibbs said this was going to be a 'real' marriage, and if that kiss was any predictor of the future, it was going to be a pretty darn passionate one at that. She still wasn't really sure where their relationship stood exactly, but that had been a really nice indicator.
Maybe it was everything just going too well, too easy. Things seemed to have just flowed along, just happened and Abby couldn't help wondering if this was the way things were meant to happen.
She didn't put much store in things like fate or destiny, although when she thought about it, it sounded kinda nice. It didn't have a scientific basis, there wasn't anything physical she could see or test. But her and Gibbs, this marriage, it just seemed right in a way that made her believe in the possibility of fate.
But Abby was never the kind of girl who dreamed about a big wedding, she'd never planned on getting married in the first place. Sure, it worked out great for some people, but she'd seen what it was like when a woman lost who she really was inside, when she spent too much time worrying about another person and forgot about herself.
She'd also seen what happened when two people had no idea what they were doing and jumped into a marriage without thinking about how they were going to meld their lives together or how much work it was going to take.
Both were mistakes she had been determined not to make. Abby didn't see herself ever rolling over and forgetting about her own needs, that just wasn't who she was. But she had to admit that she and Gibbs were about to throw two very different lives together and neither had any idea if it was going to work.
"Abby?" Mellie knocked on the door and peeked in. "You almost ready? It's time to leave."
She tried to keep her emotions off her face, but Mellie saw right through her attempt at a smile.
"Hey," Mellie said, slipping inside the bedroom and closing the door quietly behind her. "It's okay to be nervous. I'm nervous, and I'm not even the one getting married today."
Abby's smile was genuine this time. "I know," she murmured, smoothing the front of her dress absently.
"You sure you want to do this?" Mellie asked, standing in front of her. "I'll sneak you out the back if you want."
Abby nodded, cracking a slight smile. "I'm sure," she said honestly. "I'm just scared."
"Pretty sure that's normal."
Abby let out a soft laugh. "I know, and I hate being normal."
"Abby," Mellie told her, reaching out to give her hand a quick squeeze, "I say this loving you like a sister. You are the furthest thing from normal I have ever known. And that's a compliment."
Abby blinked rapidly, determined not to test the water-fastness of her mascara. "You're gonna make me cry."
Mellie gave her a quick hug. "I'm not trying to make you cry. If anything I'm trying to get you out of this room so we can get to the chapel before your mother starts climbing the walls."
"Did Gibbs leave already?" Abby wanted to know.
"Yeah, he left a half hour ago," Mellie reassured her. "I thought you weren't worried about him seeing you before the wedding?"
"I'm not." Abby sniffled. "I actually wish I'd said I wanted us to ride together. He's kinda my rock," she admitted.
Mellie smiled. "That's exactly what Luka said."
"Does he think I'm nuts for doing this?" Abby asked.
"A little," Mellie admitted. "But he just wants you to be happy. And we all see that Gibbs makes you happy."
Abby nodded. Gibbs did make her happy. She knew he'd made a lot of mistakes with his other wives, probably made some doozies with Shannon too, but somehow that didn't scare her. "I already know all his bad habits," she said to herself.
"That's a good first step." Mellie nodded at the door. "You ready to get this show on the road?"
Abby nodded, her stomach beginning to feel a lot less wibbly wobbly inside, minus the baby wriggling around like a worm on a hook. Because of course he had to be moving like crazy right now. "I think I am."
Mellie drove Abby and her parents to the chapel, where Gibbs was already waiting with Luka and the justice of the peace. Gibbs looked so handsome in a pair of black dress slacks and a pale blue button up shirt. He'd started the day out with a borrowed tie, which Abby had immediately vetoed. No, that was too formal for her Gibbs.
Honestly, she'd rather have seen him in khaki's and a polo shirt, but that was a another thing that would have given her mother a stroke. He looked equally attractive in the button up shirt he'd purchased the day before as he did in his every day work clothes, so she was happy.
She was marrying Gibbs either way, of course she was happy.
Abby wasn't sure what she'd expected, but the ceremony seemed to fly by, and the next thing she knew Gibbs was sliding a simple gold band on her left hand and the justice of the peace was telling him he could kiss her, which he did. Quite thoroughly, with her niece giggling in the background.
And that was it. She was married.
xxx
Gibbs stood on the outskirts of the room, watching Abby flit around between her family members. She looked so beautiful in that dark red dress of hers. She'd shown it to him when she bought it the day before, but that didn't compare to actually seeing her in it.
Abby laughed at something Mellie said, resting a hand on the small of her back which made her belly poke out a little more. He'd heard of some guys who were repulsed or terrified by their wives bodies when they were pregnant, but Gibbs was actually rather turned on.
It was amazing seeing her blossom like that, knowing there was another life inside of her. How other men didn't find that sexy as hell he had no idea.
He was still kind of reeling from the idea that he had just married Abby Scuito. In fact she wasn't Abby Scuito anymore, she was Mrs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, as the justice of the peace had announced less than an hour before.
Part of him had nearly expected her to change her mind at the last second, although he knew deep down that Abby wouldn't do that to him. She'd promised him the role of her son's father, she would never go back on that promise, not knowing what it meant to him.
His other weddings had all been very different from this. Most of them had been much bigger, although he had eloped with ex-wife number two. Of course later she'd insisted on a large reception type party that pretty much rivaled a wedding, so he wasn't sure if it still counted as eloping in the end.
He honestly hadn't planned on ever doing this again. After his split with Stephanie he was quite happy to be a bachelor again, and vowed to cling to said bachelorhood. He'd thought maybe there was a chance he'd find someone he cared about again, maybe even someone he loved, but didn't think he'd ever find someone worth risking his bank accounts for again.
Boy had he been wrong.
It wasn't long after that Abby Scuito had breezed into his life. She was breaking every rule in the dress code when she showed up to interview for forensic scientist, but Gibbs had taken one look at her resume and her work and told the director at the time that he wouldn't work with another person. It was Abby or no one.
Something about that child-like woman who wore pigtails every day and listened to horrible music at levels that threatened his hearing had spoken to him.
He found himself letting her get away with things he wouldn't put up with from any of his agents. She teased him, she flirted with him, she confused the hell out of him.
He tried to file her away as a substitute daughter, but that could hardly work when every time he kissed her cheek he felt jolts of attraction.
Gibbs had fought that attraction with every fiber of his being. It didn't make sense. Abby wasn't what he was looking for. He wanted something simple, something easy. Abby would complicate his life in every way, which she had.
And he just didn't care.
Gibbs had done a lot of stupid things in his life, made a lot of mistakes, but marrying Abby Scuito would certainly not be one of them. No, this was the beginning of something very special, unless he did something to muck things up.
He was still smiling when Mellie came up behind him. "She looks great, doesn't she?" Mellie smiled back at him.
Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, she's stunning."
Mellie leaned against the wall next to Gibbs. "She was so nervous before we left."
"Abby?" Gibbs looked at her in surprise. "Nervous?" This was becoming a bad habit of hers.
"Shaking in her wedding shoes." Mellie laughed.
He found himself frowning.
"Don't look like that." Mellie nudged him with her elbow. "She wasn't having second thoughts. I know what cold feet looks like and that wasn't it. I think she was more worried that you were going to change your mind."
"Not a chance."
Mellie smiled again. "I know. And so did Abby when she saw you standing at the alter."
Sami shot past them, holding what looked like a piece of cake. Gibbs smiled as Mellie took off after her daughter, who had already eaten two slices earlier, calling out vague threats all the way.
"I'm starting to worry about my future," Abby stated from behind him.
Gibbs tucked her against his side. "How so?"
"Have you seen my niece the sugar fiend?" Abby looked up at him and made a face. "I'm pretty sure I just saw what I'm in for in a couple years."
"Not just you," Gibbs reminded her. "We're in this together now."
"You're right." Abby sighed. "I'll just send him to be with you after I've fed him all the sugar."
Gibbs rolled his eyes, laughing a little as he held his bride in his arms.
Nope, he didn't care one whit how complicated his life was going to get, not if it meant he got to have Abby by his side.
A/N: And they are married! But don't worry, we're only about halfway through this journey, there's lots more to come. I got more reviews for the last chapter than I've gotten on a single chapter before, wow! Thanks everyone! Sorry I didn't get to respond to everyone, it's been a crazy week. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter just as much!
