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The Rock-Metal music streaming out of the doors to Abby's lab told Special Agent Timothy McGee that Abby was feeling better. Not back to her usual self, though, since the music was at half its customary volume. He held the Caf-Pow he had brought with him close to his chest to stop it from sloshing around, and then stuck his head around the door, trying to sneak up like Gibbs did. His gaze travelled around the lab, passing over Abby's Army carefully, making sure they wouldn't reveal his presence. He couldn't stop the grin that spread on his lips when he saw her stood at the plasma screen near the glass sliding doors, unaware of his presence. She spun around suddenly and he pulled his head back around the doorway violently, the muscle in his neck twanging in protest. He gritted his teeth and stilled his head, the bizarre tingling in his tongue making him feel slightly nauseous. He stayed quiet for a few moments, hearing the sounds of the keys on a keyboard being hit and sighed in relief. Nearly blew it there. The pain lessened and he rolled his neck experimentally, relaxing when nothing untoward happened.
Peeking back around the corner he saw why he could hear the key taps over the music. Abby was standing at the computer in the middle of her lab, distractedly typing with one finger, slamming it on whatever key it managed to hit, not really seeing anything she was writing. Tim immediately abandoned the attempt at sneaking up on her, his intense concern for her wellbeing overriding his desire to make her jump. He walked quickly over to her side and placed the Caf-Pow on the desk.
"Hey Abby, what's wrong?" she turned to him and threw her arms around his neck. He braced himself to go flying backwards when she hugged him, but instead found himself being pulled forwards as she buried her head in his neck. "Hey. It's ok." He rubbed her back softly as she held him a little closer, a few tears wetting his shirt. She had obviously cried herself quiet prior to him coming to see her, he had caught the ebb.
"It could've gone so wrong… She could've died. Gibbs could've died, they all could've died. That-that-that bitch! She tried to take them away from us…" he was astonished with her language, she must be really upset.
"But she didn't Abby. Gibbs and Assistant Director Vance killed her first."
"Vance died McGee! It could've been one of them so easily!"
"It could have been us at any day of the week. We have dangerous jobs; it's actually more surprising that more of us haven't died because, you know, statistically we have lost fewer personnel than any other Agency. The FBI is always losing Agents-" Abby's hand shot out and covered his mouth.
"McGee, your pep talk sucks. The first part was good though, when did you get so wise?"
"It's something Gibbs said back when Paula Cassidy was alive, when we were supposed to take that weekend." Abby nodded understandingly and returned to the hug. "You know, the crisis is over. Svetlana is dead. We could go to the hospital for a visit…?" He left the suggestion hanging in the air and she stiffened in his arms, pulling back suddenly, a smile breaking out over her features like Dawn over the sea.
"Yes! We can go see Mummy and Daddy in hospital! That would be so great!" She bounded away from him in to her back office to get her coat, leaving Tim to ponder her confusing words.
Mummy and Daddy? "Is the Director Pregnant?"
"What? I don't know, I mean, you never know but… Do you really think she is?" Abby switched off the music and turned off the lights, shrugging into her coat and pulling her bag from behind her desk.
"Well, you know her better than me… and you just said-"
"I know what I just said! We might be getting Gibblets!" she pumped her fist in triumph before a speculative look came over her features and her face fell. She stomped back over to McGee and slapped his head when she reached him. "That's for confusing me. I said that because Jenny is like the mummy of NCIS and Gibbs is like the daddy! You got me all excited about a little Gibblet…" She gave him a glare and spun on her heel, snagging the Caf-Pow he had brought on her way out the door. McGee shook his head and followed her, catching the lift just in time.
Abby had been insisting upon driving, but had been so excited about going to see Gibbs and the Director, that she walked with him to his car, and not noticed until she was sat in the passenger seat. He had told her that her concentration was obviously wandering, so letting him drive would be safer, and he promised; faster. She had agreed quickly, not wanting to delay the trip, and so McGee drove them to the hospital in his car. The journey passed slowly, the nagging worry for Abby making him glance in her direction several times a minute. He had expected her to talk nonstop on the way there, but he had found himself having to pull words out of her. The shooting and the stress of the prolonged investigation had taken its toll on her nerves, causing her to clam up. He cringed inwardly when he thought about the reservoir of words being held back and felt a stab of sympathy for Gibbs and Director Shepard, knowing they would be the focus of the torrent when the dam was released.
As soon as he pulled in to a space, Abby bolted from the car and stalked towards the door. McGee ran to catch up with her so he could show her to the room, therefore bypassing the ever present reporters who were hanging around waiting for every scrap of information they could over hear. He touched her arm and gestured for her to follow him, not saying anything so the journalists couldn't use anything he said for their own ends. She fell in to step with him and he guided her along the corridor, checking no one was trying to follow them.
"Tony and Ziva are guarding the door." He whispered, just in case. Abby nodded and moved faster once she saw them. The damaged window and door at Jenny's house had been repaired, allowing Ziva to join Tony for guard duty that morning.
McGee had to hand it to them; they weren't as obvious as the previous guards. He could have easily mistaken them for worried relatives, taking a moment outside their loved one's room. If they had been at the door when Svetlana had been running from Gibbs, she would probably not have found the room in time to do so much damage. He shook his head, trying to get rid of those thoughts. It was over and done with; dwelling on it would only do more harm. He quickened his pace after checking the corridor behind him once more, getting to Tony and Ziva mere seconds after Abby.
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"Can we go in?" Abby blurted out the second she was in earshot. She desperately needed to get in to see them, to make sure they were alright with her own eyes. Well, with all her senses really. Ok, so maybe not taste that would be just weird…
"Of course, Abby." Ziva said, like anyone could say no to her. The glistening in her eyes scared Ziva in to opening the door to reveal Gibbs, just in case she wanted a hug, which she did. Timmy's was a nice hug, but she really needed to hug Gibbs and Jenny!
"…and make up?" The end of a sentence floated out to them and they exchanged confused glances. Abby charged through the door excitedly.
"Did someone mention Makeup?" she glanced around and then zeroed in on Jethro. "Gibbs!" She flung herself at Gibbs, not noticing the glares that he and Jenny were giving Mike. She gave him a bone crushing hug and then released him and turned to Jenny, her arms flailing uselessly as she realised there wasn't any good way to hug her without hurting her. She gave up and took the hand that Jenny offered her out of what she assumed was sympathy, but was more like a need for something to distract her from Mike's words. "'Cos I can do yours for you, Director. If you need me to. I'm not suggesting you can't do it yourself, 'cos you obviously can, you've been doing it all your life. Well not all your life 'cos then you'd have to have been wearing it as a baby and that's just silly, I meant; for ages. Well not ages, 'cos you're not that old-"
"Thank you Abby. That's very kind of you." Jenny said softly, effectively cutting her off mid grave-digging. Abby gave her a bright smile.
"I was so worried about you guys. Ducky has the evil woman on ice and me and TIMMY…" she called out his name making him pop his head around the corner of the door and then shuffle into the room. "Have been digging into her belongings. She had a hotel key card on her, as well as a receipt for one in LA." McGee took over the report.
"I dug through her bank records; the money sent out has been accounted for in the accounts of all the dead men now in Autopsy, so all of her hired hands, or at least the ones she paid, are dead." Gibbs nodded.
"Good work you two. McGee, take Ziva and check out the hotel room. Take everything into evidence."
Abby sat on the edge of Jenny's bed and squeezed her hand, the beginnings of tears gathering in her eyes.
"I was so worried about you. When I heard you'd been shot, and then attacked in the hospital, and then attacked in this hospital, it felt like fate was out to get you and no one could stop it." The tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I thought you'd be killed and I'd never get to talk to you again, tell you… how much I like your dress sense. It's so you and sophisticated. You still need to come on a walk with me and Jethro like you said you would, we need to go shopping and you still need a tattoo." She leaned down and threw her arms around her, trying to keep her hands away from her wounded shoulder. Jenny winced, but wrapped her uninjured arm around the sobbing Goth, trying to calm her by softly stroking her head, while wondering when she had agreed to getting body art.
"It's ok, Abby, I'm fine. Shhhh."
"It could've been so wrong." She tightened her grip on Jenny and the pain flared in her shoulder. Gibbs saw the colour draining from her face and decided to give her a hand. He tapped Abby on the shoulder, and then lifted her away from Jenny, hugging Abby until the tears went away.
"You have a strange team, Probie, and a bizarre family." Gibbs gave Mike a small smile over Abby's shoulder and then sat her back on the edge of Jenny's bed. She was tired out from stress and the exhaustion took over.
"DiNozzo! Take Abby home." Tony popped his head around the doorway and nodded, walking over to the sleepy woman and Gibbs helped her to stand. She was half asleep and probably wouldn't make it to his car.
"Damn, boss… I'll ask for another bed to be brought in." Tony walked away swiftly and returned a few seconds later with an orderly, who was wheeling in a bed. They placed it between Mike and Jenny, so the curtain could still separate the girls from Mike, who wanted his privacy from all the mush that should be going on, but didn't seem likely. Tony returned to guarding the door and Gibbs sat between the sleeping forms of Abby and Jenny, keeping watch over his girls.