Authors note

The usual disclaimers apply, as much as I would love to these characters to be, they are not mine.

Please let me know what you think

Chapter 7

Gibbs walked restlessly around the lab, his eyes not meeting anyone, his hands picking up things that his mind failed to register. Abby watched him carefully, to make sure he was ok and to make sure her equipment stayed in one piece. She looked up as her doors whooshed open and saw Ducky standing there, with McGee behind him. The look on their faces told more than words could but she silently shook her head at them. Ducky paused and looked over at his friend and sighed, but he stayed where he was and listened to Gibbs talk.

"Ten years ago the few were Ducky, Constance, Matthews and Harrow and me. We were all NCIS, Matthews was Agent in charge, Constance was a probie like McGee but she had instincts that were unbelievable, she could track someone as if she were part blood hound, and she was just as tenacious when on a case. We all worked well together and landed a few very high profile cases that hit the news, we became known as the NCIS few, because a reporter had made a stupid crack about a few good men, and I correctedit by saying 'and woman'. The stupid title stuck, much to our annoyance, I had forgotten it until recently. The good few that was us." Gibbs had not realised that when he spoke of the time his face looked younger and Abby thought he must have looked like that then all of the time, not like now when you only ever caught a fleeting glimpse of the fun Gibbs. The Gibbs who smiled with his back to you when he found the teams antics funny, the Gibbs who bought her caf pow and gave her back rubs.

Gibbs suddenly seemed to snap to attention and looked over to see Ducky and McGee standing there and it was if an invisible wall suddenly fell back into place and the old Gibbs was back

"Well?" he demanded of McGee, who nervously shifted under the penetrating stare being shot at him.

"The LEO's found no trace of him boss, they said it was obvious someone was there but they couldn't find him in the vicinity, and his car was still there and it's a five-mile hike to the nearest town. They're going to start a full search for him."

Gibbs nodded; it was what he had been expecting,

"Book Tony and Kate on flights out to Vermont" he turned to the two agents, "I want Matthews found, and I want it handled properly, any screw ups will be your last" he warned them both.

"You not coming boss?" Tony asked puzzled, it wasn't like Gibbs not to take the lead on site, especially with a case like this.

Gibbs shook his head "No I have things to do here" he told him, his eyes daring him to ask more. Gibbs turned to Ducky, "If you leave the NCIS building then McGee and I go with you, I don't want a repeat of the meat puzzle," he warned his friend

Ducky smiled "Nor I Jethro, nor I" he said as he quietly left the room for the sanctuary of his morgue.

Gibbs turned and followed the ME out of the room without a further word to the others, Abby watched him go her expression worried, she cared about both the men who had just left here. Ducky was like a father too her, and Gibbs, well Gibbs was Gibbs and she wasn't sure she wanted to analyse it further than that. She turned to McGee, who was standing reading the note on the screen, feeling her eyes on him he turned to her and smiled,

"Have you managed to get anything yet?" he asked coming to stand looking over her shoulder, Abby sighed

"McGee, Gibbs is the only slave driver I answer to, and I haven't had time to do anything yet, so if you would all just leave me alone, I could get on with it" she answered shortly, bending over her desk and retrieving the note, ready to try and pull anything off it.

McGee looked sheepish and started to move away with the other two agents, but at the door Kate turned and looked at her friend

"Its ok Abby, we will get this bastard before anything happens to Ducky or Gibbs" she told her gently then turned and left the room too.

………………………………...

Gibbs caught up with Ducky in the elevator, they rode the elevator in silence that spoke of the comfort they felt in each other's presence. They stepped out as it stopped at the floor that housed the morgue and fell into step with each other, Gibbs making allowances for the older mans shorter step and slight limp.

"Will you be visiting Constance, Jethro?" Ducky finally asked as they approached the morgue, Gibbs sighed and stepped into the morgue, please to find it empty of Jimmy, Ducky's assistant.

"Yeah, I will." he said at last "although I'm not sure she will appreciate it" he said quietly as he turned to look at his friend

"Ahh Jethro" Ducky said "Constance always asks after you, when we speak. It has been a long time and time does heal many wounds, including broken hearts" The kindly ME said, watching Gibbs prepare the usual denial of his feelings for the beautiful and younger woman.

Gibbs just stared at Ducky, his mind whirling at the words, yes he had broken her heart, but he had also broken his own, but he stood by the decision he had made all those years ago. He had not choice for the regrets would be too heavy to carry if he didn't.

"She will be landing soon," he said as he looked at his watch, amazed at how quickly time seemed to be moving.

Will that he turned and left.

Ducky watched his retreat then turned to the drawers lining one wall, he opened one and pulled out the body of the young woman he had been working on yesterday. He smiled down at her sadly "I warned you there would be trouble my dear, and sometimes I do hate to be proven correct" he said to the still form sadly