The blond teenager woke up, finding the bed empty. He tried not to be disappointed but he couldn't help it, his father hadn't even come to bed because he clearly couldn't stand to be in a room with him. He decided it was late enough in the day now so he would go find someone in the house that actually wanted to spend time with him on his birthday.
He went into the living room first, followed by the kitchen when he couldn't find anyone. He thought it was odd that no one was up at all, so he started checking the bedrooms. He started to panic, finding each room empty with all their belonging gone. They couldn't have forgotten about him.
He went outside, hoping they were all enjoying the sunshine, instead he saw that all of the agents were gone along with all the cars. He didn't know what to do, he was miles away from home and he had no idea how to even get there. He couldn't believe his family had left him, had his dad been that angry with him. He went back to the living room, thinking he could come up with a plan there.
He went numb when he saw a familiar man sat on the sofa.
"Hi Zach"
"But... But... you're dead!" His hands were clammy, his heart in his throat. His dad had left him, and he had no one to save him from the man he hated.
The man grinned, a malicious glint in his eyes. Zach shuddered with the memory of that face.
"I watched you die! You can't be here, it's not possible!"
"You knew you could never get rid of me Zach. Your own mother loved me more than she ever loved you"
The blond shook his head in disbelief, his step-father couldn't be here. He was dead, he watched him die when he came of life support. But then again Shannon and Kelly were supposed to be dead but they had turned up out of the blue.
"No she never, my mum loved me!"
"No one could ever love you" He laughed "I could never treat you as a son, your mother never loved you and now your own father doesn't want anything to do with you"
"That's not true"
"How could anyone ever love you?" His step-father scoffed "You have always been more trouble than you're worth. Do your new dad a favour and don't bother finding him"
"My dad wants me, he's nothing like you"
"Doesn't look like that from here does it?"
Zach woke up, drenched in sweat and shaking with fear. He hadn't had a nightmare that involved his step-father in a long time and it shook him to his core. He looked over to the other side of the bed and his dad had clearly not gone to bed at all.
He felt his nightmare was coming true. He couldn't help it, he ran into the living room uncaring about the fact he was in just his shorts, and he found no one there. He felt sick now, skidding into the kitchen and slamming head first into something he didn't see.
"Ow!"
He felt strong arms grab him and pull him up before he fell to the floor. He was pulled up to standing, dimly aware that it was his dad and that other people were sat in the kitchen.
"Please don't leave me"
"Zach, are you okay?"
He tried to answer, instead he felt himself throwing up everywhere before his world went black.
Gibbs felt like he was the world's worst dad when he watched his son flinch and run out of the room when he shouted at him. A minute ago he had never been so angry, and now he felt like a complete idiot. No matter how annoyed he was, it was unfair to tell his son he couldn't celebrate his birthday. This was the first year he had him on his birthday and he wanted it to be special, but now instead it was probably going to be an awful day for Zach.
He saw Kelly slip into the room quietly, watching him carefully as if he was about to shout at her any moment. Great, one kid has already ran away from me terrified and now my daughter is scared of me too he thought.
"Dad, I've got something to tell you." She started nervously, feeling very much like that eight year-old girl she was last time she was in trouble with her dad and not the thirty-year old she was supposed to be.
"What is it Kelly?"
"It wasn't Zach's fault he left the house the second time"
"Explain"
Kelly fidgeted nervously with her the sleeves of her jumper. How on earth did she explain what she had done to her kid brother, her dad was going to hate her.
"Look at me Kels" Gibbs commanded softly "Whatever you did I can promise you that I'm not going to love you any less, I might be annoyed and disappointed but I will never ever stop loving you, Zach or Tyler"
She nodded, tears forming at her eyes. "I'm so sorry dad; I wouldn't be surprised if you ever wanted me near Zach again"
"Please just tell me what you did"
"I guilt tripped him into looking for Tyler, I kept telling him it was his fault he was missing and I was actually really horrible to him. He was honestly going to stay in the cabin like he was told, but I forced him"
"I can't tell you that I'm not disappointed in you Kelly, because I really am. He's seventeen, and you're an adult you should know better" He felt his temper slowly rising again, but he was more annoyed at himself for being so horrible to his son before finding out the full story.
"I know, and I'm sorry" She couldn't look him in the eye.
"We will deal with this Kelly, but just not now. We are both tired so I think it's best to go to bed"
"Okay" She nodded.
He pulled her in for a hug, kissing the top of her head "Thank you for telling me, because Zach never would have. I love you Kelly bug"
"I love you too dad"
Gibbs watched her leave the kitchen, and sat down with his whiskey. He was too angry with himself to go to bed. Even though his son had been misbehaved he didn't deserve to be treated like that and he could only imagine what his own father will say when he finds out he cancelled Zach's birthday. He decided it would be for the best to let the boy sleep and he would speak to him when he woke up.
Gibbs stayed up, thinking to himself on how he was going to deal with the entire situation he had gotten himself into. His dad was first to join him, followed by Mike, Tim, Tony, Shannon, Kelly and Tyler. Shannon and Jack were busy making a late breakfast for everyone, while Zach was still in bed.
"Right, listen up everyone" Gibbs thought it best to get everything sorted now before Zach got up "I will have no one give Zach a hard time today, it's his birthday and he deserves to celebrate it, I will be the only one that punishing him for what he's done and that's between me and him, got it?" He glared a little extra at Mike, knowing he would be the most likely culprit.
"Wouldn't dream of it boss" Tony grinned happily at him, tucking into some toast.
"Uh... what about me?" Tyler said shyly, wishing he could sink into the seat.
Gibbs turned to look at his elder two children "Both of you are in trouble, but we are going to forget about it until after Zach's birthday, clear?"
They both nodded eagerly, happy to forget about it for at least one day.
"Good"
The silver-haired agent got up to pour himself a fresh coffee when something came hurtling at him. On instinct he reached out, catching Zach before he fell to the ground.
"Please don't leave me"
"Zach, are you okay?" He looked at Zach in concern. He was white as a sheet and dripping in sweat.
He held onto him tightly as he vomited over the floor, catching him when his body went limp. He quickly scooped him into his arms; even at seventeen he was still small enough for Gibbs to pick him up, even if it was with a bit of a struggle.
"Tim, ring Ducky and get him to come up. Dad come and give me a hand" The silver-haired man barked orders.
Both of them were rushing to do what they were commanded, his dad running in front of Gibbs to get the doors and lead them to the bedroom so he could put the boy down. He pulled up a chair to sit down next to the bed, brushing his son's fringe out of his face so he could feel his temperature.
"He looks like he hasn't slept in weeks" Jack commented, pulling up a chair on the other side of the bed and looking at the bags under the boys eyes.
"He's been having trouble with his nightmares again. They've gotten really bad the past few weeks and even worse again when Shannon, Kelly and Tyler turned up." Gibbs felt guilty now for leaving his son to go to Colorado.
It was clear as day now that the boy needed him, he may have been out of it when he came into the kitchen but those words 'Please don't leave me' made it obvious what his nightmare had been about. He couldn't believe he had been acting such a jerk to his son this week, he had pushed him into a family he wasn't ready to accept and then left him alone with them, no wonder he was acting out.
"I can't believe what I said to him this morning, that's probably put him over the edge." Gibbs looked to his father; half hoping that the man would shout at him because he knew Zach would instantly forgive him.
"What did you say to him?"
"I did exactly the same thing as Kelly, the thing I've shouted at her for." He felt his ears burn with shame and embarrassment as he told his father "I told him we were lucky we found Mike and Tyler thanks to him sneaking out"
Jack frowned slightly "Maybe you shouldn't have said it in anger but it's still a valid point. Kelly was blaming him for going missing in the first place, that's completely different."
"I also told him his birthday was cancelled. I didn't mean to say it, I was just so angry"
Jack could see his son was wallowing in self guilt "Listen son, we've all said pretty stupid things in anger before. The lord knows I said far worse to you before and you forgave me, well most of the time. Zach will forgive you"
"I know he will, but I don't deserve his forgiveness. I've been a pretty crappy father to him the past week; all I've thought about is myself" Gibbs admitted "I just wanted everything to be perfect with Shannon and Kelly, I forgot about Zach and how much he needs me"
"It was never going to be an easy thing son and I think you've been far from a crappy dad" The elderly man smiled softly at him "You've done what you thought was best in a situation where you didn't know what to do, and that's all you can do. But I think it's clear what needs to happen now"
Gibbs nodded; making a selfless decision for what was right for his son "I need Shannon, Kelly and Tyler to move out and we are going to have to work from there for what Zach's comfortable with. Even if it means Shannon not moving in until Zach's away at collage"
"I don't think it will take him that long, but I'm glad you'd do that for him"
"I'd do anything for him, and it breaks my heart that he doesn't know that." Gibbs rubbed his tired eyes "Did you hear him dad? He's made himself sick because he thinks I will leave him."
"You'll prove to him that you won't leave him, I know you will Jethro"
After a few minutes of Jethro not responding and just staring absently at Zach, Jack left the room to make a coffee for the sleep deprived man.
"What's wrong with him Ducky?"
"If you gave me some space maybe I could tell you" The Scottish doctor replied, giving him a pointed look to move away from him.
Gibbs moved slightly backwards away from his son, but not much and Ducky knew he would have to work with that because it would be the best he would get.
"From what I can tell he's fine Jethro, he's just exhausted. I wouldn't be surprised if he sleeps through the most of today." Ducky informed him "As for throwing up, he doesn't have a sickness bug so I can only assume that it was because he was severely worked up over something"
"Should I wake him up? It is his birthday" Gibbs was torn between wanting to let his boy sleep but then he also knew he would be devastated at missing his birthday.
"No, he needs to sleep. If he wakes up, try and give him something to eat and get him to take some of these" Ducky rooted through his bag of supplies, pulling out a few tablets "They are sleeping tablets, just so he can get rested up without having another nightmare"
"Will I be alright to move him?"
Ducky nodded "Yes, he'll be fine Jethro. The boy is exhausted, he's not severely ill. I think you should arrange the birthday festivities for tomorrow, and he should be back to his old self for them"
The agent thanked his friend for coming out this way to see his son, before making a phone call to Abby to arrange something for tomorrow. Right now he had nothing left to do except move his son back home and stay close by to him in case he woke up.