A/N: Uploaded this chapter, but forgot to add it to the story. SMH - okay now let's hope I added it.
Anyway, here you go enjoy!

With the grain

Hours later…

"Where is he?" Tony asks as he sits down next to McGee at the dining table.

"Out back with Ducky, Vance, Fornell, Abby and Billy." Tim replies.

Tip toeing Jacky peers through the window on the back door.

"Can I see my mommy and daddy?" He asks innocently.

McGee chuckles and turns to Tony. "It's like Gibbs was never gone to him."

Smiling Tony walks over to Jacky and picks him up off the floor. "You can see them later, okay?"

Jacky happily nods as Tony takes him back to the table to McGee.

"Tony?" McGee says quietly.

"Yeah?" Tony groans as he sits Jacky down on a chair.

Taking a deep breath, Tim looks at Tony. "He's going to be okay, right?"

Looking at Jacky then back to McGee, "Come here." He says as he walks into the living room away from Jacky.

Sliding over a juice box to Jacky, McGee follows Tony.

Hoping that they were far enough away from Jacky to hear, Tony begins to speak in a hushed voice.

"I think so, but did you notice how he acted?"

McGee nods. "Yeah. When Abby was going to take his hand he flinched like it scared him."

Checking to see if Jacky was still in the kitchen, Tony continues. "Back in the car earlier, he was…" Tony trails off, unsure if he can continue.

"What?" McGee asks.

"He… his hand was shaking like was scared, no not scared… something else." Tony quietly replies.

"It's been four years Tony, shouldn't he be okay by now?" Tim says as he checks to see if Jacky was still at the table.

"I don't know. I've have had friends who went through some things and they still struggled with whatever happened years later." Tony says as he looks at the floor.

Taking a breath McGee stands in front of Tony. "Tony, what did they do to him?" He asks his friend.

Looking back at McGee, Tony is taken back by the tears that are beginning to pool in his young friends eyes. "I don't know." He whispers.

"We should have found him sooner… Tony, why didn't we go there ourselves, to see-"

"We can't change the past." Tony cuts him off.

Sniffing back his tears Tim looks at Tony. "He always told us to double check, and then triple check everything be didn't. We just accepted the fact that someone told us he was gone and that whole time he was out there when we were-"

"McGee, I know what you're feeling okay." Tony tells him. "Look I feel like it's my fault too, but we can't stand here feeling bad for what we did or didn't do. He's back, McGee and no matter what he's going through we're going to be there every single step of the way okay?"

Tim nods and wipes away his tears, while Tony begins to head to the kitchen. Suddenly, without warning McGee feels that familiar burn at the back of his head and hears the sound of the smack of a hand hitting his head.

"Snap out of it, Elf Lord." Tony whispers to him.

Tim turns to Tony and smiles. "Got it boss."

"For now I'm your boss, for now." Tony smiles back at him before returning to the kitchen to join Jacky at the table.

Outside

Abby listens to the Dr. Mallard and Billy talk, as she holds Gibbs' hand. His hand is the only thing that assures her that he's really here because his attention is elsewhere. She watches him look at anything other than them, that distant look in his eyes bothers her. This is not like her Gibbs, her Gibbs would have gripped her hand in his, instead she's the one who's clinging to him. Physically, he was here and that should have been enough but for her, she needed all of him.

"…sooner or later, people will find out." Vance says.

"Let's hope later." Fornell replies.

Ducky clears his throat. "Excuse me gentlemen, but can we worry about when people find out that Jethro isn't dead and worry about another issue?"

"Like what?" Fornell asks.

"Like where he's going stay for the time being." Ducky points out.

Abby tears her eyes away from Gibbs and turns to the men around her. "Why can't he stay here?" She asks.

"I'm sorry, Abigail, I just don't think he's ready." Dr. Mallard replies.

"But this is his home… our home. He should stay here with me." Abby responds.

"No." Gibbs whispers that draws everyone's attention to him.

"What do you mean no?" Abby's voice cracks.

Finally, turning to look at her he shakes his head. "I can't be here. I want to, but I can't." Gibbs painfully replies.

"You should be here, with her." Tobias adds.

"I won't put them in danger." Gibbs tells his friend.

Vance steps closer. "What do you mean in danger?"

Before the gunny could answer, Billy speaks up. "I agree with L.J. I don't think he's ready to be home."

"But he's here." Tobias points out.

"I know, but trust me it would be better if he was somewhere else at least until he's ready." Billy tells Tobias.

"He's can stay with me, I have no problem with that. It will give me a chance to assess what method would be best to help him." Ducky says as he looks at Gibbs who is looking away from them once again.

Abby looks at her gunny. "Then Jack and I will go too."

"No." Gibbs says as he turns to her again. He watches her look back at him in confusion. "I don't want you there."

"Jeth-" She tries to speak to him but is interrupted by the screeching of tires in the street.

Gibbs lets her hand go, as he quickly backs away from her. His actions and the sound of a car racing down the street causes Fornell to reach for his sidearm, but Billy quickly prevents him drawing the gun. Exchanging glances, they all watch the gunny who continues to back away from Abby. Confused Abby takes a few steps toward him that makes him hold his hand out to her, making her stop.

"Don't come any closer." He warns.

Abby is confused as to why he seems terrified of her. "Gibbs?"

"Stay there." He tells her, as he feels his heart begin to race beneath his chest.

"It's okay it's just a car alright?" Billy assures him.

With his breath shuddering Gibbs, tries to calm down while Abby watches. Her own heart begins to race, as she finally realizes why he doesn't want to be here at home with her. Slowly she begins to take a step toward him.

"Stop…" Gibbs begs, but she continues to step closer to him. "Abby, please stop." He pleads.

Getting close to him, she takes his hand in hers and looks up at him. "It's okay." She whispers.

The sound of a horn down the street makes him flinch, but just as quickly, she grips his hand in hers. As their friends watch, she steps closer to him, even as his breathing becomes heavier. His hands tremble in hers.

"Abby…" He breathes.

"I'm here. It's just a stupid car, that's all." She softly tells him.

Vance and Fornell both look at Ducky who only looks back them with a concerned look.

"I- I don't want you there." Gibbs tells her.

"You won't hurt me, if that's what you're scared of." She replies.

"You don't know that." He whispers.

"I do, and you won't ever hurt me." She says as she cups his face gently.

Taking a few more deep breaths, he finally speaks. "I hurt Billy. I only stopped when I realized that I was hurting him."

Fornell looks at Billy who doesn't say anything to him but continues to keep his eye on the gunny.

"I'm not leaving you, not now and not ever." She tells him quietly.

"Abby" He whispers.

"What?"

"I want to go… okay?" He manages to tell her.

"Where do you want to go?" She asks.

"Anywhere it's quiet, it's loud… too loud here." He explains to her.

She turns to Billy who makes his way toward her. "He wants to leave."

"Okay." Billy replies as he turns back to Dr. Mallard. "We'll follow you to your place."

Ducky nods and quickly heads to his car in the front.

Gibbs watches Ducky leave and slowly turns back to Billy who stands behind Abby. "If she's with me, I need you to be there." He tells The Kid.

Billy nods at him. "Sure."

Gibbs looks back at Abby. "I don't want to be around Jacky, alone… not yet, okay?"

"Okay." Her voice cracks as she grips his hand a little tighter.

"Are you ready gunny?" Billy asks.

Gibbs nods and turns back to Abby who is looking up at him with tears in her eyes. "Abbs, I don't know how to fix this." He admits to her.

Sniffing back her tears, she forces a smile up at him. "Remember that time I came over when you were pissed because a board had broken when you were working on the boat?"

Gibbs doesn't say anything.

"I drank your bourbon while I watched you tear that boat apart and even though you were about to give up on it you kept trying to fix it. It took you hours to finally get that piece out and replace it with a better one." Abby smile at the thought. "Just like that boat, we're going to find what needs fixing and fix it okay?"

"I'm not a boat." Gibbs replies.

Abby giggles. "No, you're not but either way, we're going to fix it. Sand out all the rough edges until it feels just right." She says as she leans up and places a kiss on his cheek.

"You have to sand with the grain." He tells her.

Abby smiles at him. "That' the best way, right?"

"Yeah" Gibbs breathes.

Gripping his had one last time she looks into his eyes. "I'll meet you at Ducky's okay?" She tells him.

He nods at her and lets her hand go as he leaves with Billy.

Tears filling her eyes she painfully watches him leave. "Leon." She whispers.

"Yeah?" Vance replies as he and Fornell stand next to her.

With tears in her eyes, she looks at the director. "Should I be worried about the day when people find out he's back and that he's Jacky's father?"

Vance looks at Fornell and back at her. "I'm not sure, I think Billy will have more insight on that but Abby we won't let anything happen to you, Jacky or Gibbs… you can count on that." He assured her.

The sound of the backdoor opening up breaks the silence.

"Mommy!" Jacky screams as he runs over to Abby.

She wipes away her tears before turning around and picking him up. "Hey, Jacky." She smiles at him.

Tony and McGee exit the house as Abby turns to Fornell and Leon. "I'm going to call Carol and see if she can stay with Jacky tonight, then I want to go with you to Ducky's." She tells them before heading into the house.

Tony watches Abby enter the house and turns to Leon. "Everything okay, director?"

"We need to head over to Ducky's and see if Billy can tell us more about…" Leon trails off.

"Leon?" Tony says snapping Vance out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, lets just get to Ducky' tells the agents as they file into the house to wait on Abby.

They all knew Gibbs wasn't the same, but he wasn't entirely gone as well and so that gave them hope. Perhaps the light that shined the brightest for the gunny was Jacky and Abby that could bring him out of his darkness. If that were the case then they would do whatever it would take to make sure to keep them all safe no matter what may come their way in the days, weeks and months to come. For now, they just needed to help the gunny to feel comfortable in hopes that a safe place can help his recovery. Gibbs was no boat but like as Abby put it, it was time to sand out all the imperfections and maybe somewhere beneath those rough edges was still that man they once knew.

tbc...

~*Thanks for Reading.*~

NEXT CHAPTER: "The Darkness Within"

"I hope you enjoyed this little update."
-The Gabby Effect-