a/n:

Damselfly: Chapter III

When Gibbs got back to N.C.I.S. Headquarters, he went straight down to Abby's lab, with the stuff that he had gotten from the hospital. But not before he got her Caf-Pow!

He knew that something was wrong when he walked into her lab and she was nowhere in sight, her usual screeching music absent in the air. "Abby?" he called.

"Here, Gibbs." She spoke softly and suddenly that he almost jumped.

He turned to her. "I brought you two things." he told her. "Evidence to process," He held out the bag of Shelby's things. "And a favourite of yours," He showed her the caffeine drink. She looked at him with pursed lips though, not at all looking happy like she usually was. "Abs?" He questioned in concern.

"Gibbs," She sighed as she took the items from him; she set the bag down by her table which was filled with tagged pieces from the bomb and set the drink on her desk. "My silver-haired fox, boss man," She continued in the same tone. Gibbs watched her with raised brows as she spun back around to him. "I have news, news for you." She put her hands on either of his shoulders.

"I'm listening," He told her.

"Good," She nodded. "I'm here for you."

"You're always here, Abby. That's what I like about you," He said with humour.

"This is no laughing matter, Gibbs!" She protested, taking her hands back.

"So tell me what this is." He asked her.

"I know," She told him simply.

"Okay. What is it that you know?"

"I know that you have a son." She told him, her arms now crossed over her chest, a nod in place.

"Abby." He bit out. Now was not the time.

"Gibbs!" She protested.

"Did you process the bomb?" He asked her instead.

"You're avoiding," She pouted.

"Abby." He growled.

Abby looked at him for a moment longer, measuring if she should plough on. Gibbs did treat her special, but if she barged into something that was about his family, she knew that he would actually smack her like he did the others. She didn't want that. It would mean that she wasn't special anymore. "I did," She grumped, not happy about it though. She turned to her table. "T.K.T. collected enough pieces that I can cleanly state that there was in fact a bomb; I got wires, plastic from what seems to be a timer, the burned pieces of what looks to be a mercury switch. C4 was the explosive, but I also found traces of modeling-clay on the burnt remnants of the paper that they were wrapped in."

"Modeling-clay?" Gibbs asked her. "They mix it with the C4 to delude it?"

Abby shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think so. I ran it, and it seems pure, just modeling-clay."

"What would be the point in that?" He asked her.

"That's your job." She told him.

Gibbs looked at her. "Just take a swing, would you."

Abby looked back at him for a long moment, Gibbs never like it when they guess; it must be worse than she thought. She didn't want to anger him anymore than was necessary, so she took a stab instead of a swing. "Since the clay and the C4 was not mixed together, I guess it was to make the bomb look bigger than it really was."

Gibbs nodded; it was a possibility. "And what about the other device?"

"From the small piece that was collected... I ran it through my bomb database and found a match; it was a landmine;… ." She told him.

"Good work," He told her, and he kissed her cheek. "Drink you Caf-Pow! and keep at it." he ordered her as he left.

"Right." She agreed, finally taking a drink of the much needed substance.

chapter III break...

Gibbs went to Ducky; he needed to know who it was that was with Shelby since his son was still unable to say much. "Ducky," He greeted the doctor as the autopsy doors slid closed behind him.

"Ah, Jethro." Ducky looked up from the folder that was laid out on the empty autopsy table next to the occupied one. "How was your visit to the hospital?" He asked, trying not to sound like he was prying.

Gibbs looked at him. "Abby told you," He concluded easily.

"Yes," The M.E. didn't even try to deny it. "You know her. How are you holding up?"

"Abby said you got an I.D. on our Marine." Gibbs said, coming over to the table and looking down on the burned remains of the Naval Officer sadly. No one should have to go out like that, especially at home base and during what was supposed to be a training exercise.

"You're avoiding the question," Ducky pointed out gently.

Gibbs glared at him. "I'm working a case, Ducky. This Marine was killed at home field in what was supposed to be a safe and controlled training exercise. We're not supposed to be to fight terrorists in our backyards. Now tell me who he is, Ducky." His voice was hard.

Ducky sighed as he looked from Ducky to the Marine on his table. "I was able to get a dental impression and I ran it through the database. I also was able to find a piece of flesh that wasn't to badly burned and sent it up to Abigail to confirm. Who we have here in out presence is Commander Jeff Reynolds." He told the other man. "The explosions is what killed him; he was dead before he touched ground."

"Do you give-" Gibbs started, but Ducky finished for him: "Give it to Tony? Yes."

"That's good, Duck." Gibbs nodded to the doctor and turned away, heading for the doors.

"Jethro?" Ducky called to him.

Gibbs stopped and sighed. "He's in the I.C.U., Ducky. My dad's with him," He told the man and walked through the doors, but not before Ducky called out to him: "You can't burry this, Jethro. It'll do no good." He ignored the doctor as he got into the elevator and headed up to the bullpen.

Ducky turned back to the Marine. "It looks like this will be more personal and emotional for our fearless leader, finding your killer."

chapter III end-