She hadn't moved from bed much at all that day.

The ridiculousness of the situation dawns at her midway through the day: that she's a grown woman in her 50s confining herself to her own bed out of heartache.

She tries to think back to her teenage years and whether she had even been this love sick before. She can almost put together a face, but her memory falters every time a name tries to present itself.

It seems that Jethro Gibbs is the only person who has ever done this to her.

If Cynthia had any suspicions about her story of waking up sick, she hadn't vocalized them. Neither had the agent who so graciously dropped off her work. The younger woman knew her well enough to know she's never once called out sick, and she makes a mental note to herself to provide her assistant with a raise for never questioning whatever she was told to do.

Her phone lay on the pillow next to her. Screen face up, volume as high as it would go, a thinly veiled attempt at making herself believe it was all in case the agency were to call with an emergency.

In reality, she had just been hoping he'd call.

She didn't know what she would say, of course. Everything was to muddled in her head right now; pools composed of his words being thrown so violently mixed with the level tones or SecNavs offer. Voices and phrases replaying in her mind over and over like a sickening song. Nothing made much sense to anymore, least of all in that moment.

Pros and cons: a tactic she had used throughout her career to make choices. Weighing the two seemed at times to be the only way she could navigate through tough decisions to be made.

The biggest con of all of this was leaving him, and it felt so much heavier than anything else being weighed.

She lets the pen she had been holding fall carelessly into a sea of blankets, shoving aside a document as she does.

Perhaps going to California soon was the best choice, if only to avoid seeing the heartbreak in his eyes for any longer.

Her gaze drops to her phone once more, the itching in her fingers to call him returning. She wanted to talk to him. A real talk, not another screaming match that the two of them always seemed to fall into.

"Damn it Jethro." She mutters to herself, burying her face into her pillow to muffle the groan that followed her statement. If she inhales deep enough, she's sure she could still pick up his scent in her bedspread.

How could things have gone so good to so horrible in a matter of 24 hours?

One moment he was carrying her up the steps to bed, the next she was laying alone in hers struggling to keep her mind off of him.

Perhaps leaving him with a Dear Jethro letter was a cowards move, but it all felt monumentally easier in this moment than dealing with everything life was throwing at them this time.

What was she going to do?

Hours later, long after a case had been handed off to team Gibbs and a body had been sent to autopsy, Ducky had been just about ready to call it a day when the doors had opened once again

"If you've come back for another talk Jethro, I'm afraid I'm out of the office until tomorrow morning." He commented, not bothering to spare his guest a glance.

"If you were expecting Gibbs, I'm sorry to disappoint."

The lightness of the voice catches him off guard, and it's only when he spins on his heel to face his visitor that he realizes Abby, accompanied by Tony, had been the one to speak.

"Abby," he says, offering the duo a smile, "You'll have to forgive me, typically Jethro is the only one who comes to see me this late in the day."

She smiles, "Well, you're not to far off Ducky. We're here because of him."

If ever there was a statement pique his interest, it was that.

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Tony answers, "Listen, Ducky, we know he came down here and talked to you this morning. We know you know about he and the director."

It takes a great deal of self control for Ducky to hold back his laughter, "Hmm, yes, and I take it he doesn't have the faintest idea that you two know?"

The guilt look on both of their faces tells him all he needs to know.

"Didn't think so. Now, what is it I can do for you?"

Abby, ever the enthusiast, answers before Tony even has a chance to open his mouth, "We know they were together. First question is, are they no longer?"

He thinks back to his conversation with the man in question hours before, "I don't believe so."

"Huh," Abby says, "Well, why?"

It dawns on him then how much they knew and subsequently how little they knew.

"I don't know if I'm at liberty to talk about the Directors professional affairs." He offers, because he truly doesn't know how widespread the job offer has been.

"Ducky," Tony says, "We're not asking as their employees, we're asking as their friends. And as someone who has benefited greatly from a decrease in slaps to the back of the head."

On queue, Abby's hand collides with the back of his skull.

"Sorry."

Ducky knows he really should not disclose the reasoning behind Jennys departure, and that really, it wasn't their business what the Director did or did not do.

He also knows that the pair standing in front of him cares deeply enough about Jenny and Gibbs that perhaps it doesn't matter.

"Jennifer was offered a job at the FBI as deputy director in California."

There's a brief moment of silence before before Abby speaks.

"Oh."

"Oh indeed." He laments.

"So she's leaving him." Abby says.

"It's not that simple," Ducky says, sighing, "She's not the one who ended things. Jethro has a habit of doing things too quickly when he's in a relationship with someone. I believe Jenny wanted to make things work long distance."

Tony absentmindedly runs a hand along the back of her head where Abby has slapped him as he speaks, "So, what I'm getting is this just sucks all around."

Despite himself, Ducky smiles slightly, "I have to agree Tony. This does in fact suck, as you put it."

"So what are we going to do?"

Abbys words shouldn't take him by surprise, but they do. Of course the two of them wanted to meddle in a relationship that was not their own.

"I would stay out of it, Abigail."

Abby rolls her eyes with a smirk, "Wheres your sense of romance Ducky? If those two are too stubborn to fight for their relationship and own personal happiness, then someone else has to do the fighting for them. I want them both to be happy, and it turns out that just might be with each other."

He stares at her for a moment. Hands on her hips, eyebrows raised, eyes filled with dedication to her cause. If there was one person who was infinitely passionate about what she puts her mind to, it was Abby Scuito.

"Okay." He finally replies, "Okay, we help them see the error of their ways. But this is a fine line you all are walking, you have to tread lightly."

A wicked smile overtakes Abbys features.

"I am nothing if not good at what I do."

a/n: Next chapter is going to be solely Gibbs and Jenny, so stay tund.

- Ali