A/N: Sorry it's a little late, when the alarm on my phone went off to remind me to post, I realized I didn't have the chapter already uploaded and then the internet went down (life in a small town).

This was one of the easiest chapters I wrote, and one of my favorites. Very little changed from the original draft, I basically just had to proofread. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do!

Chapter Twelve: Past Returns

Rule #39: There's no such thing as coincidence.

Gibbs pulled up to the small gas station in town and turned off the car. "Gonna go inside to pay," he told her. "Chances are I'll recognize someone and can ask if my father's around."

Abby nodded, reaching for the car door. "Okay. I need to stretch. And pee."

"Try not to get in any trouble until I get back." Gibbs tried to make it sound like he was kidding, but she could tell he was really nervous about seeing his father again. Or maybe not nervous, but definitely tense. "And try not to talk to anybody. Damn snoopy town, everyone wanting to know everyone's business."

"Would they know any cute stories about you as a kid?" she asked, feeling cheeky.

Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "Be good, and I'll see if they carry No Caf Pow."

Abby's eyes widened. It had been weeks and weeks since she'd been anywhere where she could get her favorite drink, even if she was restricted to the caffeine free version. "I'll be good," she promised.

"Doubtful," Gibbs muttered on his way out of the car, making her grin. Man had her pegged, that was for sure.

As soon as Abby was standing she suddenly realized just how badly she needed to go. She practically ran for the public restrooms on the side of the building, which thankfully were not locked. Once she was finished, she washed her hands and headed back outside.

Now that things weren't desperate, she took the time to look around. The gas station was on the outskirts of Stillwater, so this was really her first glimpse of the town. Gibbs hadn't revealed much to her, and a web search hadn't given her much more information other than census data and mention of coal mining history.

Gibbs had mentioned that main street was straight ahead, so she took a few steps closer to the main road, while stretching out her arms and legs. Driving here had seemed like a good idea when she'd suggested it, but Abby was starting to feel like she was the fetus, all cramped up in the car.

She didn't see much in the distance, although Gibbs may have used the words "nothin' to see but dust and old buildings". He didn't seem to have warm fuzzy feelings about Stillwater, but Abby had a feeling that had more to do with whatever had happened between him and his father and less to do with the actual town.

She sighed. There really wasn't anything she could see so far. As much as she hated it, she'd just have to be patient and wait for Gibbs to finish pumping the gas.

Whens she turned around to head back to the car she collided unexpectedly into an older man.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, as his arms reached out to steady her. "I didn't realize anyone was there."

"Don't you worry about me," he told her. "Saw a pretty girl I didn't recognize and thought I'd make sure she wasn't lost."

Abby giggled. What a charmer. "Nope, not lost," she told him. "Just visiting with a friend."

The man smiled, then his eyes focused on something in the distance. Abby followed his gaze to Gibbs, who was leaning against the rental car, his arms crossed. Oops. So much for a Caf Pow.

"Do you know him?" she couldn't help herself from asking.

The man nodded. "Used to."

Gibbs wasn't charging over to drag her away, despite his glares, so she figured he must be harmless. "I'm Abby," she said, holding out her hand for him to shake.

"Jackson." His handshake was firm and steady. "What's a nice girl like you doing with a man like Leroy?"

She tried not to giggle. She'd never heard anyone call Gibbs Leroy before. "I married him."

"Married?" Jackson looked a little bit stunned.

She nodded. "Uh huh. We're here so I can see where he grew up and meet his father."

"Oh."

Abby glanced back at Gibbs, who still looked a little menacing over by the car. "I'd better get back." She gave Jackson a big smile. "It was nice meeting you, Jackson."

"Nice to meet you too, Abby."

Abby walked slowly back over to the car and stood directly in front of Gibbs, close enough to feel the warmth from his body. "Are you mad?" she asked, looking up at him.

He shook his head. "Nah."

"I wasn't trying to snoop, I just bumped into him," she tried to explain. Gibbs wasn't saying he was mad, but she could sense the conflicting emotions swirling around inside him.

"I saw." Gibbs finally uncross his arms and gave her a hug. "Just wasn't expecting that."

Abby leaned in, nuzzling his chest with her face. "Do you know him?" she asked.

Gibbs chuckled. "Didn't he tell you who he was?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "He said his name was Jackson."

"It is. Jackson Gibbs."

Abby pulled away, her eyes wide and her jaw dropping southward. "Jackson Gibbs?"

Gibbs nodded.

"He's your father?" she asked, putting the pieces together in her head. Jackson had seemed a little familiar looking, but she had not imagined the first person she'd bump into in Stillwater would be Gibbs' father!

Gibbs reached behind him and pulled out a large No Caf Pow. "Here, you look like you could use this."

She sucked half the drink down in one fell swoop. She'd just met Gibbs' father. Oh no! She told him they were married! No wonder Jackson looked so uncomfortable when she told him. She felt insanely stupid.

Until she realized it was all Gibbs' fault.

"Why didn't you tell me your father's name?" she demanded, poking him in the chest with her finger.

Gibbs glanced down at said finger as if it were nothing more than a small buzzing insect. "You didn't ask."

Abby took another sip of her Caf Pow, quick, before she said something she would regret later. "I didn't ask because you were so closed off about the subject and I didn't want you to shut down. I didn't realize I was going to make a fool of myself in front of your father the first time I met him because you never told me anything about him!"

"Abby," Gibbs tried. "It's fine. Really."

"Not it isn't!" she exclaimed. "I'm such an idiot. I told him we were married!"

"We are married," Gibbs reminded her.

She glared at him. "Not. Helping."

"C'mon." He kissed her on the forehead. "How about I take you to the motel so you can rest and I'll go talk to him."

Abby let him lead her back to the car and tuck her into the passenger seat. She still felt like an idiot. Damn these pregnancy hormones! She never used to be this insecure about anything and now she just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.

xxx

Gibbs got Abby settled in the small motel room and waited until she had dozed off before he went to find Jack. She'd been fairly upset about her encounter with him, or maybe just upset that she was upset about it.

He smiled to himself as he drove towards Main Street. Hormonal Abby was crazy, but she sure was fun.

It was a strange kind of coincidence that Abby had literally bumped into his father at the gas station. It was a small town, but the chances of her meeting his father five minutes after getting out of the car were still astronomical.

So, now Jackson knew he was married. Gibbs wondered how much he knew about his other wives. They'd stopped talking before he'd married Diane, and he didn't exactly keep in contact with anyone else in Stillwater. Shannon had been the best thing to come out of that town, and without her he just hadn't cared anymore about much of anything to do with it.

He pulled the rental car up to the General Store his father had founded with Gibbs' namesake, Leroy Jethro Moore, his father's best friend. Things didn't change much in Stillwater, but seeing the store was still like traveling back in time. Gibbs remembered working there after school, tagging cans and stocking shelves. Fighting with Jack if there wasn't enough to keep them occupied.

He turned the engine off and simply stared. There were a hell of a lot of memories tied up in this place, and he wasn't used to wallowing in times gone by. He still wasn't sure this was a good idea, but it meant a lot to Abby, and these days he couldn't seem to say no to her.

Not that he'd ever said no to her much before.

Gibbs could feel the eyes of half the town on the rented car with out of town plates. By now, someone had probably already called Jack up and asked him if he knew who was in the car. It was time to stop stalling and just go inside and face the man.

He got out of the car and opened the door to the store, hearing the familiar sound of the bell. Jackson was sitting behind the counter, hands folded. He had obviously been waiting for Gibbs, probably watching him through the big windows.

"Leroy," Jack said simply as he approached.

"Jack." Gibbs stopped in front of the counter.

"You don't call, you don't write." Jack narrowed his eyes. "Apparently you have plenty of time to acquire new wives."

Gibbs winced inwardly. Okay, so Jack did know about his ex wives. "I'm here," he offered. That was really all he could give the man.

"That you are." Jack took a deep breath. "Didn't realize you liked 'em that young."

"Just Abby," Gibbs said simply.

"The age difference doesn't bother her?" Jack asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "Nope."

"Good for her," Jack said, surprising him.

The two men stared at each other for several minutes, neither feeling the need to break the silence. Jack looked pretty much the same as Gibbs remembered, a few more lines on his face, his hair a little grayer, but still spry and stubborn as ever.

It was easier when his mother was alive. She'd been the one to keep the peace between the two of them. Ann Gibbs had been a quiet but strong woman who didn't put up with any crap from either of the men in her life.

She would have hated this. So would have Shannon. Those were the thoughts that kept Gibbs from saying the hell with it and leaving, going back to the hotel and curling up in the bed with Abby.

Abby, he was doing this for Abby, he reminded himself. With everything that she was giving him, he could do this small thing for her. Just a day or two, for Abby, and they could go back to ignoring each other the rest of the year.

"Where's your new wife?" Jack asked him.

"At the motel." Gibbs pushed his hands into his pockets.

"Motel?" Jack looked surprised. "What the hell is she doing at a motel?"

"Right now she's probably napping."

"Napping?" Jack parroted again.

"Yeah." Gibbs heaved a sigh. "She gets tuckered out real easy these days."

Jack frowned. "Is she sick?"

Gibbs shook his head, amused. Apparently Jack wasn't as observant as he used to be. "Nah, just pregnant."

Jack didn't parrot that back at him. He looked genuinely stunned. Gibbs was pretty sure this was the first time he had ever seen his father speechless.

Jack swallowed. "It's yours?"

"In every way that counts." The look in Gibbs' eyes dared him to ask.

"That girl shouldn't be at a motel," Jack said after several minutes, digging around in a drawer behind the counter. "She's family." He set a silver key on the counter between them.

Gibbs raised his eyebrows.

"Take her to the house," Jack ordered him. "It's not as clean as it was when your mom was alive, but it's better than that flea bag motel and there's plenty of room."

"Ya sure?" Gibbs asked.

"Just take the damn key," Jack snapped. "Get her settled in and I'll be back after I close the store at five."

Gibbs slipped the key into his pocket. "All right."

xxx

Abby was awake when Gibbs got back to the motel, sitting cross legged on the bed and watching some frightening reality show about crazy brides. She would have been sorry she hadn't had a chance to scare Gibbs a little before they got married, except she was pretty sure with the number of weddings he'd had Gibbs had probably encountered a Bridezilla already.

"I'm hungry," she told him, muting the TV. "You took the car and all I had were tic tacs." She held up the empty container to demonstrate her desperation.

"There's still a bag of chips in the backseat," Gibbs told her, tossing the keys to her. "I'm gonna go check us out."

Abby caught them in one hand. "Check us out? Why?"

"Jack wants us to stay with him."

"Whoa, wait!" Abby vaulted off the bed and grabbed Gibbs arm before he could leave the room. "Wait a minute, I think I missed something. He wants us to stay with him? Why?"

Gibbs shrugged. "I think he likes you."

"Okay." Abby stared at him for a minute. "Are you okay with that?"

"Doesn't make much of a difference to me."

Abby narrowed her eyes, but she let him leave. Liar. It made a difference to him, he just didn't want to talk about it. He was probably mentally sanding a boat at this exact minute.

Her stomach growled, so Abby ran outside and grabbed the chips out of the car. Plopping back down on the bed when she got back, she returned to her previous position and began munching.

Gibbs knocked on the door a minute later, and when she opened it he nodded towards the car. "You ready?"

She nodded. Grabbing her purse off the bed and taking a quick glance around the room to make sure they hadn't brought anything else in, she followed Gibbs back to the rental car and climbed into the passenger seat, still munching on the chips.

"If there isn't anything to eat I'll go out and grab ya some grub," Gibbs told her as he drove, weaving effortlessly through the short streets until he pulled up in front of a medium sized Victorian house with a wrap around porch.

"This is where you grew up?" Abby verified with a nod of her head."

"Uh huh."

It was beautiful. Abby had always leaned towards Tony's "raised by wolves" theory of Gibbs childhood, but in fact he'd been raised in Mayberry.

She climbed out of the car, making a half hearted attempt to get Gibbs to let her carry some of the suitcases. He hadn't let her carry anything at all since he learned she was pregnant, so she didn't fight too hard, but she had to at least try. It was the principle of the matter.

She couldn't help but smile as Gibbs unlocked the door and stepped inside. The house looked remarkably similar to Gibbs', the major differences being leftover feminine touches Abby assumed were left over from Gibbs' mother.

She paused in the hallway to examine a portrait of Gibbs in his Marine uniform, probably from when he first joined up. It was strange to see him there, looking so young and innocent. It almost didn't fit with the growly and gruff man she'd fallen in love with.

Gibbs had already charged up the stairs with their luggage, but Abby lingered downstairs. There were framed pictures everywhere, kind of like there were books everywhere in Gibbs' house.

She picked up a framed photo off an end table and stared. It was of a young Gibbs' and Shannon, obviously a wedding photo. Shannon was looking up at Gibbs as if he held all the answers to all the world's questions and he was looking at her with a look in his eyes she recognized.

She dug the replacement phone Luka had gotten her out of her pocket and scrolled through the pictures until she found the one she was looking for. She'd been letting Sami play with her phone at her parents house after the wedding and Sami had snapped a photo of Gibbs and Abby together. Abby was laughing at something someone had said and Gibbs was just looking down at her.

It was the same look.

Abby's eyes darted from wedding photograph to wedding photograph, hardly able to believe her eyes. Why would Gibbs be looking at her the same way he looked at Shannon? Shannon had been his first love, his true love. They didn't have anything in common.

Confused, she nearly dropped the frame when she heard Gibbs starting down the stairs. She quickly shoved her phone back in her pocket and put his and Shannon's wedding photo back where she'd found it.

"Ya okay?" Gibbs asked, coming over to stand in front of her.

She nodded, not trusting her voice at that exact moment.

xxx

Gibbs leaned back at the table, watching Abby thoroughly charm his father over the meal Jack had insisted on cooking for them. He wasn't sure why he was surprised, Jack was not the first person he had watched Abby turn the charm onto, but somehow he still found it unexpected.

Abby seemed to be completely comfortable around his father. Since Jackson insisted on fixing dinner for them, she had placed herself at the kitchen counter and chatted happily with the older man as he cooked.

Gibbs had hung around long enough to be sure that Jack was on his best behavior, then wandered off to check for any house repairs that might need to be done. He puttered until dinner was ready.

Jack's anger seemed to reside only with him. With Abby, well Gibbs was fairly sure his father was falling a little in love with her, not that he could blame him. Abby kept things upbeat, telling Jack all about how beautiful Mexico had been and then the trip to visit her family, which had culminated in their wedding.

As Gibbs ate, he listened to their conversation with interest, although he tried to keep it off his face. He wasn't ready to explain some things to his father, and he was curious just how much Abby was going to reveal that evening.

Abby had been careful to avoid any mention of Mikel, or the beginning of her pregnancy. Because of the way Gibbs had phrased things in their conversation earlier, he knew Jack must have been more than curious, but the man remained silent on the subject, seemingly happy just to take in what Abby chose to share with him.

"He always was a stubborn kid."

Gibbs looked up in surprise, his thoughts having drifted off at some point and missed the beginning of what appeared to be a conversation about him.

Abby had her head in her hand, leaning on the table, smiling widely and warmly at Jack. "He hasn't changed a bit."

"No, he doesn't seem to have changed at all," was Jack's response. Gibbs was fairly sure this was supposed to be a thinly veiled insult, but he chose not to respond.

"Was he much of a loner as a teenager?" Abby asked.

Gibbs groaned inwardly.

"Spent most his days out back in the shed, tinkering with some old car," Jack told her. "Most nights it was all his mother could do to drag him back inside."

Abby giggled. "Now he builds boats in his basement."

"You don't mind him leaving you alone all the time?"

"He doesn't leave me alone all the time," Abby said simply. "And no, I don't mind. It's who he is. He doesn't try to change me and I'd never try to change him."

Jack glanced at Gibbs for one of the first times during the meal. "I suppose it's good he found someone who understands him then. I certainly never did."

"He can be a tough nut to crack." Abby smiled warmly at Jack. "But he's worth it."

"You're good for him," Jack said after a brief silence. "You got him to come back here, none of the others managed to do that."

Abby glanced over at Gibbs, who shrugged. "I'm very persuasive," she said finally, winking at Jack.

"I just bet you are," Jack said, winking right back and making her laugh heartily.

"When are you due?" Jack asked conversationally, as they cleared the table.

"January twenty ninth," Abby told him. "Did I show you the ultrasound picture?"

Jack smiled. "Not yet."

Gibbs watched in amusement as Abby skittered off to find the picture, then realized Jack was staring at him. He raised his eyebrows.

"Don't you hurt that girl." Jack waved a finger at him sternly, then turned his face into a smile timed just perfectly as Abby came back in the room.

"Here it is," she said, handing Jack the picture.

"Beautiful baby," Jack told her.

"Handsome," Abby corrected him with a grin. "It's a boy."

Jack seemed to examine the picture even closer. "A boy," he murmured.

"Your grandson," Abby corrected.

Jack looked a little startled as if he'd just realized what the baby would be to him, and glanced over at Gibbs, who shrugged. His eyes looked just a little glassy when he returned them to the picture. "My grandson," he whispered.

Suddenly, the years seemed to melt away and Gibbs was seeing Jackson's happiness when he first told him Shannon was pregnant. Memories flashed by of Jackson holding a baby in his arms, chasing a pigtailed toddler around the room, looking solemn at a funeral.

Gibbs turned away, not wanting those memories to haunt a single moment he spent with Abby. "I've gotta make some calls," he told them, and got out of the room as fast as he could.

xxx

Abby was uncharacteristically quiet that night when they got ready for bed. She came back from the bathroom dressed in a pair of stretchy pink shorts with black sheep on them and a black maternity tank.

Her stomach was getting bigger. Gibbs itched to touch it, to see if he could feel the baby moving again, but despite the changes in their relationship wasn't always sure if it would be welcome. He'd seen his usually very touchy feel-y Abby nearly take off a waitresses head for trying to touch her stomach just two days before.

Gibbs watched her climb into bed and curl into a ball, facing away from him. He sat down on the bed and gently touched her shoulder. "Abbs? You okay?"

She turned partially onto her back to look at him. "Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"Mad at you?" Gibbs searched his memories but honestly had no idea where this was coming from.

She nodded. "For telling all that stuff to Jackson? I should have asked if there was stuff you didn't want me to tell him."

Gibbs sighed. "I don't care what you tell him," he told Abby. "Most of it he already knows or would figure out eventually."

"Yeah, but you didn't tell him any stuff."

"That's cause we don't get along all that well. I don't care if he knows things, I just don't wanna be the one who has to tell him."

Abby searched his face. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Is that why you've been so quiet?"

"Part of it." Abby curled back on her side and stared at the wall.

Gibbs waited patiently. "You gonna tell me? Or am I gonna have to drag it out of ya?"

When she didn't answer, he settled himself against the headboard of the bed and started combing his fingers through her hair. He didn't say anything, just sat there and stroked her hair. He wasn't sure how to act anymore with all the mood changes Abby had been going through. One minute she'd be happy and bouncing off the wall like she usually was, and the next she was on the bed, curled in the fetal position, staring at a wall.

It was confusing and frustrating, although he imagined it was more so for her.

After about fifteen minutes or so, Abby took a deep breath. "I don't know what I'm supposed to tell people," she blurted out. "Especially when we get back home."

"You mean about us getting married?"

Abby nodded. "People who don't know us will just assume that we're in love and this is your baby, but what about when we tell the team? Tim at least knows you're not the real father."

Gibbs grabbed her shoulder as gently as he could and pulled her over onto her back, resting partially against his body. He leaned over her until his lips were close to her ear. "I am that baby's father in every way that will matter," he said gruffly, holding back the anger that spiked in him at what she'd just said. "I might not have put him there, but I'm the one who's going to keep him there, and I'm going to be the one who's there when he comes out."

Abby reached her hand up and cupped Gibbs' cheek. "I know," she promised honestly. "I know. I just don't know what to say when people ask."

"Tell them to talk to me."

"That's mean." She couldn't help a small smile. "I'm serious, Jethro. I didn't want to tell Jackson, because I didn't want him to worry, but Tim already knows about Mikel, maybe even Ziva and Tony. It feels weird to tell them we just married for the baby."

"Did we?" slipped out of Gibbs mouth before he could stop it.

Abby pushed herself up into a sitting position, no easy feat since she was twisted up in the sheet and just pregnant enough to be off balance a bit. She stared at Gibbs. His eyes seemed to be searching hers for something, and she wasn't sure just what exactly they were looking for. "I thought so," she said slowly.

"Maybe it started out like that," Gibbs admitted, never breaking eye contact, "but I was under the impression that things had become more than that."

Abby bit her lip. "I don't want to push you."

"Push," Gibbs told her. "Tell me what's really going on in that head of yours because that's the only way I'll be sure."

"I want this to be real," she admitted.

Gibbs nodded. "I told you, this would be as real as you wanted it to be."

Abby raised her chin. "I want it to be really real. I want us to really be together, not just act like we are."

She watched Gibbs face, trying to figure out what he was thinking, which was impossible. Finally, she just waited to see what his reaction would be.

"There's only one way we can make it more real," he said huskily, "and I am not doing that for the first time in my father's home."

Abby blushed. That wasn't exactly what she was talking about, but heck, she wasn't going to complain if he offered. He was her husband, she loved him, and she was more than just a little attracted to him.

Gibbs leaned closer, causing her breath to hitch. His eyes dropped to her lips and she felt a flip flop in her stomach that had nothing at all to do with the baby.

When his lips were so close that she could feel his breath on her face, Gibbs slid a hand around her waist to tug her body closer. He pressed his lips to hers, firm but gentle.

This wasn't a kiss to seduce her, it wasn't designed to inflame passion (although that was a definite side effect). This was a kiss to prove something, to show her something. Gibbs was pouring all the emotion he didn't like to show or say into that kiss and it was making her melt into a puddle of Abby goo.

When he finally pulled away to let them both catch their breath, he leaned his forehead against hers. "It's real for me," he told her honestly.

Abby pushed back his hair and nuzzled his nose a little. "Okay," she said softly, giving him another soft kiss on the lips. "That'll do for now."