Chapter 25

Gibbs sat quietly for a moment, and let Abby gather her strength around her. He felt pride swell within him at the way she physically changed before him. Her eyes became stronger and brighter, and she sat up straighter on the bed.

"So you want my life story?" she teased Gibbs, needing to try and make light of it, knowing though there was nothing funny about what had happened.

"Abby" Gibbs said gently, his tone both a gentle rebuke and a laugh.

"Ok so no life story" she muttered then turned glittering eyes on him "oh yeah and don't ever expect me to bring you coffee again" she told him sternly "cos that stuff really will kill you" she paused before grinning, "Or me" she added on with a mischievous smile. Gibbs just shook his head ruefully, knowing that no matter what happened to her, if she could joke about it then she would be ok.

"Abby, sometime today" Gibbs warned her again though, needing her to tell him what had happened not just so that he could find Ari but so that he knew how to help Abby.

"Ok boss man, keep your Wal mart shirt on" she muttered, her eyes growing serious though.

"I knew you were outside, and I figured that you would have run out of coffee. So I decided to make you some, and bring it out to you as a surprise" she said with a grin, ignoring the way his eyes had narrowed, knowing she would get hell for it later. "anyway when the elevator arrived, someone was getting out, at first I didn't realise who it was, but then I saw his eyes" Abby's voice took on a far off quality, her mind replaying the scene vividly in her mind. "I dropped the bag and ran for it" she murmured "But I didn't get very far" she said her eyes looking up into his "I'm sorry Gibbs" she said suddenly, tears misting her eyes.

"What for?" Gibbs asked gently, his hand squeezing hers.

"For not listening to you, for getting caught, for being so stupid," Abby muttered turning away from Gibbs and trying to pull her hand from his. Gibbs refused to let it go and gently used his other hand to turn her face back to his. His eyes bored into hers, their expression tender.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, what you did was just who you are." Gibbs told her, his voice tight with suppressed rage against Ari and unnamed emotions welling inside him at a vulnerable Abby. "And you never bring me coffee anyway, I bring you Caf Pow's" he teased gently. Pleased to see her smile slightly, at his words.

"Yeah well first and last time" she told him sternly before taking a deep breath and continuing. Grateful that Gibbs was here with her, knowing that without a doubt he understood who and what she was.

"He caught me on the stairwell; he jumped over the banister and into my path. I tried to get away but I couldn't. He had a gun and I knew he would use it" she said sadly "He made me walk down the stairs and into Mrs Harris's apartment" she said, her eyes growing wide. "Oh my god Mrs Harris, how is she?" She demanded suddenly remembering that Ari had given the old lady some kind of sedative.

"She's fine" Gibbs told Abby calmly "All she could remember was Ari calling around, pretending to be a visiting Rabbi from her synagogue, and that he was very charming" Gibbs told Abby, relieved that she calmed down at his words.

"A Rabbi?" Abby declared, glaring at Gibbs "If he's a rabbi then I'm going to get a pocket protector and wear tweed" she muttered angrily, causing Gibbs to laugh out loud. Before he realised what he was doing his arm had snaked around her shoulders and he leant forward to give her a hug.

"That's my Abby" he laughed at her, liking the way she felt in his arms, quickly releasing her at the thought.

Abby continued to glare at him for a moment before a sheepish smile broke out "I had a pocket protector once" she said grinning "but I didn't have a pocket to put it in" she said shaking her head in confusion "I don't have many shirts with pockets in" she said as if she had only just realised it. Gibbs smiled at her

"If you did Abs, I am sure you would look great" he told her grinning.

"Why thank you Gibbs" Abby murmured, fluttering her eyes, "I didn't think you noticed" she said formally, her twinkling eyes giving away the fact that she was teasing him. Gibbs smiled back for a moment, before his face turned serious again.

"What happened next, Abby?" he prompted her gently, hating the way her eyes dimmed at his question.

……………………………………………

Abby had been talking quietly for awhile, telling Gibbs what had happened in the truck and Ari finding her on the side of the road. She explained that she had passed out, and that somehow he had managed to get her to the house, but that she didn't know how or if he had had help in doing so. Abby started to fidget as she spoke about the house and how Ari had tended her injuries and cared for her. Gibbs felt his blood start to chill, images flashing through his mind of Kate. And the conversation they had had so long ago in the coffee shop, when Gibbs had confronted her on her inability to stab Ari in the morgue. Gibbs narrowed his eyes at Abby, but she didn't seem to notice, her eyes once more distant, lost in her memories.

"He asked for my help" Abby said suddenly, her eyes meeting Gibbs, before looking away. Gibbs sat up straighter in the chair.

"Help? Help in what?" Gibbs asked, his tone betraying nothing of the tumult of emotions rolling around in his gut.

"In fighting the war against terrorism" Abby said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. Gibbs said nothing, just watched Abby struggle internally with her emotions and memories

"He said that we were at war, and sometimes we had to do things that crossed the line. Things that we hated to do but that were needed in order to save many innocent lives." Abby stopped and took a deep breath, tears falling down her cheeks.

"He said he didn't want to kill Kate, but that it had been necessary in order to maintain his cover" Abby whispered, refusing to look at Gibbs, hating the way what Ari had said still seemed to make sense. "That he was trying to prevent another 9/11, and that the only way he could do that was to take one of you out. So that Al Queada thought he was one of them and could be trusted." Abby said quietly, feeling the anger mounting in Gibbs. Terrified to look at him and see hatred that would be directed at her. "He couldn't shoot you because he know's you are the only one who can track him to hell and back, and in tracking him will be able to stop the cell he has infiltrated" Abby stopped and wiped at her tears, her throat closing.

"Kate was the only one he could get a clear shot at, and that she was a soldier in the war" she whispered, closing her eyes tightly in pain at the image her words conjured up.

Gibbs sat there frozen at Abby's words and then he stood abruptly, his chair skidding backwards and falling over. Without a word or look at Abby, Gibbs strode angrily from the room.

Abby watched him go, tears streaming down her face. She stared at the door feeling her world shatter, and then slowly and painfully she curled into a ball and sobbed.