*I had lost this chapter in my laptop and
I finally found it! YAY, I guess my job
made me blind or something because I found
it saved on my desktop LOL. Anyway here is the
next chapter for this FF - PS I have not forgotten
about this story I was just determined to find this
chapter that I wrote months ago. N-JOY!- TGE
Blame it on the whiskey
8:17 PM – Gibbs basement
With sawdust on his hoodie and a chisel in his hand he worked in his basement while Abby was out with Carol. He didn't mind that Abby spent time with her best friend because she didn't complain that he was out with Tony and McGee the night before. Their relationship was stronger than ever and their trust was even stronger but there was one thing they weren't prepared for… Dr. Samantha Ryan.
Hearing the front door shut he smiled knowing that she had come home early even though she had told him she would be back late. Hiding his smile he continued to work knowing that he had come home early the night before too. Staying apart from each other was difficult and they couldn't last a few hours apart without calling or leaving their friends to get back home.
The sound of footsteps heading for the basement he tried to look as if he was more focus on his work though he knew that wouldn't last long once she entered.
Hearing the footsteps begin to descend he couldn't contain his smile anymore as he looked up.
"I knew you'd come ba-"The words caught in his mouth.
"I'm happy that you knew I would come here." Ryan replied as she hung her things on the railing.
Swallowing the words that were intended for Abby he cleared his throat. "Ryan…"
Smiling she looked around the basement. "Looks the same, just a little dustier from what I remember." She replied.
"Yeah… finally back down here." He confessed to her though he was still shocked that she of all people was in his basement tonight.
Smiling she looked at him. "Really, what kept you away from the one thing you love?"
"It's not the only thing I love." He replied honestly but he wasn't about to go telling her about his relationship with Abby.
Walking up to the dusty bottle of bourbon she looked back at him. "What you don't drink anymore?"
He said nothing.
She knew he was the quiet type and most of the time she always did all the talking but tonight he was saying a whole lot less than she was used to. "I should have called but I wanted to surprise you. I think I did." She smirked.
"Yeah, you did." He said as he walked around the table trying to some distance between them.
"Honestly, I wasn't expecting to ever see you again but when I found out my case was leading me back to NCIS, I'll admit I was happy." She told him while picking up the dusty bottle of bourbon from the even dustier shelf. "Then when I saw you, I knew I still cared about you."
Looking at the woman he once had a relationship with, he took a deep breath. "Ryan-"
"What we had, was good wasn't it?" She said wiping of the bottle. "I mean we were perfect together and honestly I was and I still am in love with y-"
"You left." He cut her off.
She cringed at the brutal way he said those words. "I know." She whispered.
The silence between them lasted a while until she looked away from him.
"Leroy, I was afraid for my son." She told him.
"I tired to tell you that I-"
"I know what you tried to tell me." She replied.
Looking down at the table in front of him he took in another breath. "I was willing to make it work even with Harper out there and I was willing to do anything for you but…" he looked back at her. "… you left, like what we had, what I was trying to do for you didn't matter."
"It mattered, I know that now." She explained. "I thought I was over you but when I saw you I couldn't believe how stupid I was for leaving you."
He said nothing.
Setting the bottle of bourbon down, she rounded the table and approached him.
"I know now I should have stayed and trusted you. I know now that I had something good and I just ran away from it." She said softly.
"Ryan, I cared about you but everything I did for you should have mattered when… when it meant something." He replied.
Looking at him she couldn't hide how those words hurt her. "So, you're saying that all that, means nothing now?"
He said nothing as he walked away from her.
Left standing alone she watched him set the chisel down on the table in corner.
"I'm sorry." She said quietly.
Looking back at her he took in a breath. "Ryan, I'm not mad at you."
Forcing a smile she looked back him. "Thank you, I think."
Glancing at the top of the stairs he hoped that Abby wouldn't return while Ryan was here.
"Why are you here?" He asked turning his attention back to her.
She chuckled as he began to approach him. "I was kind of hoping… to pick up where we left off."
He said nothing.
Standing in front of him she draped her hands over his shoulder. "Don't you want to pick up where we left off?" She whispered as her eyes focused on those lips she couldn't get over.
Saying nothing he walked away leaving her alone again.
"Picking up where we left off would mean picking up where you left." He said as he walked to the center of the room.
Taking a deep breath she looked at him. "I know I hurt you but-"
"I didn't have time to feel hurt." He told her.
"For someone who said he isn't mad at me, you sound mad." She said looking at him.
Shaking his head he looked at her. "I'm not but you're the one who left and now you're asking to pick up where we left off." He explained.
"Jethro, I loved you and seeing you again made me realize that I still love you." She explained coming closer to him again. "I'm not over you." She whispered.
There was a time he would have given in to her but now it was too late to try and pick up where they left off. He loved her yeah that was true but he was over her because now he loved the woman who wouldn't leave him not like the way the woman in his basement had done.
"I am." He replied quietly.
"What?" She asked.
"I'm over you, Ryan." He whispered.
Looking into those pretty blue eyes she shook her head. "I don't believe you not after what we had."
"Had…Ryan" He shook his head "we don't have it anymore."
"Are you seeing someone is that it?" She asked.
"Ryan, I'm over you and I know what we had or thought we had wasn't enough to make you stay… I know now, that if you really meant as much as I thought you meant to me I would have chased you and begged you not to go. "Taking a breath he looked away from her "What we had was, good. "He looked back at her "I've moved on and I'm not looking back."
A smile tugging on her lips she picked up the bottle of bourbon and stood in front of him. "Jethro… the thing is I'm not over you and the one thing I love more than my job is chasing what I want and to be honest I love a challenge."
Looking at her he shook his head. "You're wasting your time what we had is like that bottle of bourbon… it's on the shelf and collecting dust."
"Yeah, maybe but the good thing about dusting off an object is how the memories come back and make you wish you could do it all over again." She replied.
He said nothing to her as she looked into his eyes.
Putting the bottle of bourbon in his hand she smiled at him. "Why don't we dust off this bottle and have a few drinks…" Licking her lips she looked at the man she was still in love with "and let's see where tonight takes us, then in the morning we can just… blame it on the whiskey."
Holding the bottle of bourbon that he hadn't had the urge to drink in weeks in his hand he looked at the woman that wasn't giving up on him. Standing there he wondered where his girl was unaware that she had come home moments ago and that she stood at the door way above them listening.
Standing there unable to move Abby couldn't enter and she couldn't speak not after hearing those last words that scared her.
'blame it on the whiskey'
She didn't hear the conversation before those words but she couldn't help but feel like that tonight the future of her relationship with the gunny rested on what he would say next.
TBC…
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-The Gabby Effect-
