Ziva's been gone for 2 weeks at this point, just so ya'll know. Dream in italics.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I'm glad to know that people are enjoying this story. Also, in order of the Thanksgiving holiday in a few short days I just may be inclined to post another chapter on Thursday . . . depending on the reviews of course ;P

VillageVoice

"I miss her." Abby stated into the cold early morning air, running her across the even colder stone in front of her. "The hardest part is not knowing whether or not she's okay. Whether or not I'll ever see her again." She let her face drop into the warm ball of fur sleeping in her arms. "My greatest fear before we got together was coming into work one day and Ziva not being there anymore. Just . . . gone. Back to Israel and I'd never see her again. It would just haunt me knowing we wasted so much time . . . dancing around each other. Now she really is gone and it is killing me." She took a long breath. "I don't know what to do Kate."

Abby picked up the single, long stemmed black rose from beside her and placed it in front of the headstone. She traced the outline of Kate's name one last time before standing up. She kissed the top of her fingertips and placed the kiss on the top of Kate's headstone. "I miss you too Kate. I really need you here right now."

Gibbs stood off to the distance keeping a watchful eye on Abby. He would not let one more thing happen to another woman in his life. Abby was all he had left and nothing was going to happen to her. He wouldn't put it past Mossad to try to get Abby to force Ziva to do what they wanted. That was not going to happen. He watched her put the puppy down and turn around to face him.

Abby crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow expectantly, little Harley standing in front of her owner barking protectively.

Gibbs cracked a slight smile and walked away from the trees stopping a few feet in front of Abby. "How long?" He asked.

"The whole time." Abby answered. "Your stealthy sniper hiding skills aren't what they used to be Gibbs."

"Maybe you're just 'really good'?" He suggested. Not many people would know when he was around if he didn't want them to, but Abby wasn't most people.

Abby smiled at the reference, remembering the day she had told Gibbs that she was 'really good' and him not letting her forget it since. "You're doing everything you can right Gibbs?"

Gibbs put his arm around Abby's shoulders and guided her out of the cemetery. "Everything I can. I promise Abs."

Abby sighed and cast Kate's headstone one last look. Gibbs's promises had always made her feel better – safe, protected and reassured, but now, for the first time since she had known her silver-haired Fox, she was doubting everything that came out of his mouth. It was a harsh reality when someone realized the person they trusted most in their life couldn't do everything, couldn't achieve the impossible. So far Gibbs has always managed to do that, but Abby was beginning to believe that his superpowers were nearing the end of their rope.

When they got back to Abby's apartment she was more lost than ever, unable to figure out what she was supposed to do or think or say. She wondered around the apartment with her jacket still on, Harley still attached to the leash in her hands following her owner around as she didn't really have any other choice. Walking around like everything was unfamiliar to her.

Gibbs unattached Harley from the leash and focused Abby enough to at least get her to stop moving for a second. "Do you want to stay with me?"

Abby shook her head in the negative.

"McGee?"

She shook her head again.

"There's Tony, Duck-"

Abby just kept shaking her head. "I'm staying here. There's still a chance that Ziva might try to contact me." She saw the look on Gibbs's face. "I know it's a slim chance, but there's a chance and I have to be here just in case. She's going to make sure I know that she's okay. I just don't know how she's going to, so..." She began, sitting down on the couch in the middle of the room. "I have to be here. I don't know how to be anywhere else, so I have to be here. She wouldn't try my lab, at least I don't think . . . No she wouldn't try my lab that's too risky. I have to be here."

"Okay." Gibbs nodded and sat down beside Abby on the couch.

"Gibbs." Abby waited until Gibbs turned to look at her. "Can you take me somewhere?"

Abby stepped into the apartment after Gibbs and looked around. She was right. "There's nothing left." Ziva's apartment had been emptied of everything and from the look of things it has been done in a hurry. She ran her hand alone a deep gash on one of the window frames against the back wall. "I thought maybe she would have left a note or something, but if she did they probably took it anyway."

Gibbs cleared all the rooms then waited by the front door allowing Abby the space to do what she felt she needed to. "It has been two weeks Abby. I'm sure Mossad has sent a lot of people to erase every trace."

Abby walked out of the kitchen holding Ziva's NCIS ID and badge in one hand and her service weapon in the other. "There's a secret hiding space behind the panel in one of the small cabinets above the fridge." She explained. "She must have come here before she left."

"She knew you'd find them."

"Yeah." She sighed. "I know it's probably against protocol, but . . ."

"Just ask Abs."

"Do you think I could keep them?"

Gibbs took a minute and raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Keep what? Mossad made sure to destroy all of Ziva's IDs, credit cards, anything with her name on it. As for her service weapon, they probably took that too because NCIS has been unable to locate it."

Abby smiled and enveloped Gibbs in one of her bone-crunching hugs. "Thanks Gibbs." They pulled apart and with a parting smile Abby wondered over to the window seat and sat down, curling her legs under herself and looking out the window. "She's okay right Gibbs?"

"Abby-"

"I know she may not be, but I just need you to tell me that she is. Unless she really isn't and in that case I would need you to tell me that too." She looked over at Gibbs, hope showing through her clear green eyes.

Gibbs crossed the distance and sat down next to the Goth. "Ziva is fine Abs."

Abby smiled, but nothing close enough to reach her eyes. She turned from Gibbs and looked back out the window.

"She's fine Abby."

"I know."

Gibbs shook his head. "No, you don't." Abby looked to Gibbs once again, this time with an eyebrow raised. "When she first came here she bought two untraceable cells – one for her, and one for someone on the team no one would think would know where she was if anything happened."

"McGee." Abby said. "But she called me when she was framed for assassinating that Iranian prisoner."

"You two weren't that close then. She was trying to be your friend. You weren't making that easy for her."

Abby looked away guiltily. "She called me as a test? If I called her back with the number she could reach you at, we were good, But if I turned her over to the FBI she wouldn't have bothered anymore? Was she was trying to find out whether or not I could be trusted?"

"Probably." Gibbs shrugged.

"We didn't have to be friends, but she wanted to make sure I wasn't a traitor." Abby sighed. Ziva David was such a complicated creature. "Anyway, what about the cell?"

"She gave the other cell to McGee."

"Smart choice."

"She sent him a text message thing yesterday."

Abby's eyes shown the first sign of hope Gibbs had seen in the past few days. "And?"

"She's fine Abs. She misses you."

Abby smiled, a great weight had been lifted. "And?" She probed. She could always tell when there was more to the story.

"And she loves you Abby. No matter what happens, she loves you."

Abby chuckled at the blush creeping in on Gibbs's face. Not much could make the silver-haired fox blush. She leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. She stood up and with one final look around the room, took a deep breath and held her hand out to Gibbs. "I'm ready now."

That night Abby seriously considered digging out her old Ouija board she hadn't touched since college. She needed to talk to Kate in a bad way, but she didn't want to disturb her spirit. It would be selfish for her to pull Kate from the pure white cloud Abby imagined her sitting or lying or dancing on. She knew if she herself was in Heaven she sure wouldn't want to be disturbed, unless of course one of her friends needed help. Then she would be there in a minute. Abby also knew that it wasn't safe to use the board without at least one other person, and she really wasn't up for company. She added a little message to Kate in her prayers and left the choice up to her departed friend.

"Harley!" Abby called. When she failed to hear her little claws on the hardwood floor she thought maybe she had accidentally closed her little girl out of her room. "Harley?" She called again. "If you stole Bert again I will kill you – Okay, so maybe kill isn't the right word, but Mommy will not be happy." There still was no noise or movement that she could hear so she threw her legs over the side of the coffin and saw the little puppy sleeping on top of Ziva's pillow. She took a tentative step closer to the bed. Harley didn't like sleeping in the coffin, but Abby hadn't been able to sleep in the bed since that morning she woke-up to find Ziva gone.

She heard small little baby snores coming from the puppy and smiled. She would try sleeping in the bed tonight, but she wasn't promising anything.

"Well, well, well, long time no see."

Abby blinked a few times as her eyes got used to the bright light. It wasn't morning yet, was it? She was inside and was pretty sure she hadn't left a window open when she fell asleep, so where was that breeze coming from and why was her mattress all of a sudden so uncomfortable?

"You look like hell girl. You didn't look this bad when I died. And I died!"

Abby's eyes shot open and she shot up. "Kate!" She ran toward her friend and wrapped her arms as tightly around her as she could manage.

"Easy Abs. I might be dead, but-"

"Oh, sorry." Abby pulled away. "I've really missed you Kate."

"I know." Kate put her arm around Abby and guided her to a tree swing. Abby looked behind her and realized she hadn't woken up in her bed, but on a aprk bench. Maybe 'woken up' wasn't the right phrase.

"This is a dream, right?"

Kate sat down on the swing. "Do you want it to be?"

"If you're here to be all cryptic and whatever, then you might as well leave."

"Okay." Kate pushed herself off of the swing and started walking away.

"NO! I'm kidding. Please don't go." Abby pleaded.

Kate smiled and sat back down. "Anyone been able to resist that pout since I've been gone?"

Abby smiled and sat down on the swing next to Kate that had suddenly appeared. "Not as of yet." She looked up at the full, bright leaves of the tree and noticed it was the same tree she and Ziva sat under when they made trips to the park. It never had swings before though.

Kate laughed. "Of course not." There was silence as the two friends swung back and forth on the swings.

"Will I remember any of this?" Abby asked.

"Do you want to?"

"Kate!"

"Do you?"

Abby nodded.

Kate grew serious. "You will remember parts of it, but nothing about me."

Abby bit her lip. "Do you know anything about her?"

Kate looked over at Abby before swinging herself even higher. "I know everything about her. I spent a lot of time watching her when I first died. I had to make sure she was worthy of my spot on the team and more importantly, my desk. I had to protect my team." She smiled. "She's a good person Abby. She's changed a lot since she first joined NCIS. She really loves you."

"I really love her." Abby responded, slowing her swing and looking down at the dirt.

"I know. Ziva does too. She's trying to find a way back as we speak."

Abby smiled. "Really?"

Kate nodded. "Really. But it's going to take time. Just . . . when the time comes, don't believe everything you hear."

"What does that mean?"

Kate shrugged. "There's only so much I can tell you Abby."

"Says who?" The forensic scientist challenged. Kate just looked at her and shook her head. "She's safe right?"

"Ziva is safe. I've been keeping the two of you safe thus far I'm not about to blow it now."

"You've been watching over us?"

Kate nodded, pushing harder against the dirt, using her legs to push herself higher into the air. "You mostly, but then I saw how much she meant to you – well, how much you to meant to each other probably before either of you even realized it, and I knew that in order to protect you I had to protect her too." Kate chuckled. "Ziva made it pretty easy. She has to be one of the strongest women I've ever known either when I was alive or now. It really was - is" she corrected. "-sweet how much she cares about you. I can tell you that the guys who dragged her back to Israel aren't going to be breathing much longer, if only for the fact that they hurt you."

"So, wait . . . you haven't been like watching us all the time, have you?" Abby looked worried.

Kate smirked. "Well . . ."

Abby jammed her feet down, stopping the swing, and reached over delivering a nice strong punch to Kate's right arm.

Kate laughed. "Of course I don't watch you all the time Abby. Unlike Tony, I know how to respect people's privacy. You just might want to make sure he knows the difference between right and left."

"I suppose you're not going to tell me what that means either are you?"

"You'll find out eventually."

Abby nodded. "Right."

"I know you're depressed right now Abby as anyone in your position would undoubtedly be, so I'm going to put this as gently as I can . . . you need to snap out of it. You are the light of this team and without you, Tony, McGee, Gibbs . . . no one can keep them together but you. Ziva will not love you any less or stop trying as hard as she can to get back just because you go on living your life. I know that's a lot to put on you, and for that I am-"

Abby stood up in salute. "I will take my responsibility serious, Ma'am."

Kate stood up and hugged Abby. "See that you do."

The light came in through a small tear in the window shade where the outside wind had blown away the curtain that usually covered the tear and blocked out the light. Apparently she hadn't shut the window all the way. Abby slowly opened her eyes, blinking away the small bits of sleep not wanting to leave. She looked out the window at the bright sunlight shining through and then to Harley, who looked up at Abby with her head to the side and her tale thumping happily against the bed. She smiled and picked up the growing puppy, laughing as Harley licked her face. "Today is going to be a great day." Harley continued to lick her owner's face. "How about we start off with a walk and a picnic? I know the perfect spot."