I hope you guys enjoyed Chapter 1. I had fun writing it. I have had this idea (for this story) floating around in my head forever and now... I finally decided to actually get it up on Fanfiction. Enjoy and please review!

Oh, also I need a beta. I have asked millions (okay maybe not that many) but a lot of people and no one has been willing to take on the challenge. Anyone wanna take it on now? I would really appreciate it. If you want to help me out just e-mail me. Thanks!

Gibbs stood upstairs in the bullpen, wondering how Abby had taken the news. From upstairs, you couldn't hear down in Abby's lab, but he had heard a few crashes, like something had broken. So however she was taking it, he assumed it wasn't good.

He really worried about Abby, no matter what anyone thought. He wasn't always an heartless-asshole... although that is what everyone took him for. Abby was like family to him. He didn't want to think of her as a daughter. No, his feelings ran deeper than that. Of course, that wasn't something he would be going and telling anybody. If anyone even had the slightest idea of how he felt for Abby, it was Ducky. Ducky could read him like a book. Ducky was the only one who could tell what was wrong with him. Even behind a scowl, Ducky knew if he was angry, sad, upset or just being mean because it was part of his nature. Ducky knew... Ducky knew everything.

Snapping him out of his reverie, Gibbs heard Kate chatting with DiNozzo over by her desk. "How is she?" Gibbs asked. He saw Kate jump a little, as he put a hand on her shoulder. It reminded him of Abby, how she always jumped when he would come up behind her and whisper something in her ear or lay a hand on the small of her back.

"She didn't take it too well," Kate replied, turning around. Gibbs could tell by the puffiness of her eyes, that she too had been crying. "I didn't have the heart to give her the evidence we found. It would've been too much for her," Kate sighed as she flopped down into her chair.

Deciding that he should go see howAbby was doing, Gibbs took the elevator down to Abby's lab. He was surprised to see that it was the same as always: rock music blaring, Abby typing away on the computer, bouncing her head in time to the music. The only difference was that now, she looked sad. He could see her reflection in the computer screen. Mascara was smeared under eyes as a tear ran down her cheek. Her pigtails were also crooked from where her had been laying on Kate's shoulder.

"Abby?" Gibbs was being cautious. He didn't want to startle her, upset her and he definitely didn't want to piss her off.

"Hi Gibbs," Abby replied, trying so hard to sound cheerful, but she couldn't do it. As soon as she turned around to face him, she began bawling again. She flung herself into his arms as she muttered something in his shirt. Gibbs couldn't decipher it and he figured it didn't really matter. He just liked the way this feeled. Holding her in his arms, her hair tickling his nose, her sobbing in his shoulder. Actually, he hated that part, the fact that she was so upset. He would do anything to take her pain away... if he could, but he knew that anything he did would be no use. This was one of those things that took time to heal and that was what Abby needed... time. He took in one big breath before releasing her and holding her to face him.

"Abbs, I'm not going to ask you if you are okay. I already know the answer to that question, but I do want to know something. Would you like to go? You need to go home. Just rest and when you come in tomorrow, you will feel better. It may be best if you don't even work this case. I can always get McGee to fill in for you. Okay?" Gibbs blurted this all out at once.

"Are you crazy?" Abby whispered. Gibbs was shocked by her response, it's definitely not what he had expected. "Gibbs, going home would definitely not solve my problems. Being alone right now, it wouldn't be good for me. As for not working this case, you must've lost your damn mind. I want to know who..." she paused. "Who murdered Nick. I want them behind bars. Hell, I want them dead. Nick may not have loved me, but I loved him. I always will and right now, my heart is breaking and the only way to mend it is to find out who killed Nick. You know as well as I do that I am the best one for the job. McGee doesn't have shit on me."

Gibbs knew that much was true. McGee could work a computer, sometimes better than Abby, but truthfully, Abby could get everything so much faster than him and she always did it with a smile on her face. "If you're sure that is what you want then I won't argue, but I can't have you really distracted. It wouldn't help at on upstairs when you feel like it and I will give you the evidence."

Abby just nodded her head and Gibbs began to walk off, heading towards the elevator. "Gibbs wait!" Abby called after him. He stopped and turned around. Abby ran up to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks," she said as she walked back to her computer.

Gibbs sat his desk, still worried about Abby. He knew when he offered that she wouldn't go home. He also knew that she would refuse to be taken off this case. He had envied Lieutenant Perry when he and Abby had been together. Nicholas would show up almost everyday in his uniform, ready and willing to take Abby out to lunch. He always wanted to take her to these fancy places, but Abby wasn't into that. Her idea of a good lunch was a bag of chips followed by the oh so famous Caf-Pow!. That's the one thing Nicholas never understood, why she so enjoyed Caf-Pow!'s. Gibbs knew the reason and it wasn't hard to catch onto. Abby loved caffiene. She liked being hyper and giddy, not that she needed soda for that, but it helped.

Searching through the evidence bags on his desk, Gibbs didn't think any of it would be of use. They had a small black hair, a piece of fabric that appeared to have come off of a sweater, an unidentified phone number written on a napkin and a letter that Lieutenant Perry had recieved from his landlord. All these things had seemed important at the time, but now that Gibbs was looking at them, he had no idea what they would be good for. He rested his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes with his palms.

"I'm ready." Gibbs was startled to death by the sound of Abby's voice. He hadn't heard her come up behind him.

"Ready for what Abby?"

"The evidence. I am now calm and collected. One-hundred percent improved," Abby said, beginning to sound like her old self.

"One-hundred percent? Don't think so. Actually Abbs, it would be better to just wait until tomorrow. It is really late, I'm tired and I know you have to be tired. We should all just go home."

"But Gibbs," Abby whined. "I can handle it."

"Abby," Gibbs said, sounding a bit aggravated, but also relieved that she was arguing with him. "That... was an order."

"Whatever you say Mr. Ex-Marine."

"Abby what do I always tell you?"

"Once a marine always a marine," they said in unision.