Chapter Eight

Gibbs reached wearily for his phone when it rang early Tuesday morning. Though he hadn't exactly been sleeping in, it was past his usual 5am wake up time. He glanced at the screen to check the caller ID, ready to tell whoever it was to leave him alone, but 'work' flashed on the screen. Maybe it's Abby. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Agent Gibbs, sorry to wake you," Director Vance wasn't the first voice he wanted to hear in the morning. "But we could really use your help."

"I'm off the rest of the week, call DiNozzo."

"He's already here. We've got a dead petty officer, his frantic wife and a missing four year old."

Gibbs glanced over at Shannon to see that she had woken up. Although they shared a bed, with the exception of the first night, there had been no intimacy between them. They usually lay awake talking about the past, his arm draped over her, reminding him she was really there, but the urge to touch, explore, wasn't there the way it had been before.

"Gibbs?"

The minute a child was involved, Gibbs knew he couldn't say no. "Yeah, I'll be in." He hung up before Vance could tell him to hurry, and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He looked back at Shannon apologetically. "Case."

"It's okay. Maybe Kelly and I could come with? She how things at NCIS work? I'd love the chance to get to know your team better."

"Sure," Gibbs shrugged. "I'm sure Ducky would fill you in over a cup of tea."

It took just under an hour for the three of them to shower and get out the door. The drive to NCIS was quiet and Gibbs readied himself for whatever the case would bring. His team was hard at work when he stepped out of the elevator. He could tell they hadn't gotten much, if any, sleep. Ziva was arguing on the phone – something about security tapes. McGee was typing at his computer, and Tony paced in front of the plasma, flipping through a file.

"What've we got?"

"Boss!" Tony looked worried. "I told Vance not to call."

"It's alright, what've we got?"

Tony glanced at both Shannon and Kelly before telling Gibbs everything they knew so far. "Dead Petty Officer, Samuel Kent, his daughter is missing. His wife was in Boston visiting her sister. We're working on confirming that."

"Crime scene?"

"He was found by his wife." Tony snapped his fingers to get McGee to put the photos up on the TV. "Looks like he was watching TV and then… you know. Ducky isn't sure about the cause of death, he's got Abby running some tests."

Gibbs' heart jumped just a little at the mention of Abby. He hadn't seen her since Shannon had arrived, nearly a week and a half ago and he missed her. A lot. "You checked the place for prints?"

"Sent them to Abby. She might have-"

"I'll go." Gibbs dropped his jacket over the back of his chair and took both Shannon and Kelly's jackets as well. "We need to stop for coffee first."

Abby leaned against the table and tapped her foot in time with the music. The DNA samples had been loaded and the fingerprints scanned, now all she could do was wait. She clicked back and forth from screen to screen checking the progress of the various scans.

She heard the door open and sighed, her eyes still trained on one of her screens. "You were here 20 minutes ago Tony. I'm good, but I'm not that good."

A Caf-Pow! appeared beside her keyboard and she shivered when she felt the heat of a warm, hard… body behind her.

"Not good enough if you're confusing me with DiNozzo."

"Gibbs!" Abby spun around and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. She'd felt guilty about avoiding him the few days before he's taken Shannon and Kelly to Stillwater, but the idea of seeing him happy with his family was something she just wasn't ready to deal with. "I…" she froze when she saw Shannon and Kelly in the doorway. She gently extracted herself from Gibbs' arms. "I hope you had a good time in Stillwater. Jack is good?"

"He's good." Gibbs smiled. "Wants to know when you'll be up for a visit."

"I should give him a call. But um, the case, I don't have anything for you yet. It's all loaded, scanned and running but I haven't-" Abby's eyes widened when one the finger prints came up with a match. "How did you do that?" Momentarily forgetting the discomfort of being around Shannon and Kelly, she turned to the two women. "He always knows when there is a match. Sometimes before my machines even know!"

"Abby…" It was a gentle reminder to focus. "The prints?"

"Right!" Abby turned back to her computer and tried to ignore how close Gibbs was standing. "Uh, Petty officer Eric Hunt. Lives on base, few doors down." Abby scanned over his information and then flipped to the evidence log. "This print was found in the bedroom. That's a bit hinky, your neighbors prints wouldn't be in your bedroom unless…"

"That's good work, Abbs." Without hesitation he brushed his lips across her cheek and then headed for the elevator, bringing Shannon and Kelly with him. "We'll be back down for lunch."

Abby waited until he was gone and then went back to pacing the lab, mumbling quietly to herself. She knew she needed to talk to Shannon and Kelly, more than a simple 'hello, how are you', but at the same time she wanted to stay out of their way. Gibbs had his girls back, and although she knew Gibbs would never use her, she couldn't help feeling a little as if the last 10 years had been a joke, as if she had been a temporary place holder while life played a cruel trick on all of them.

She knew that if she could just get over the emotional part of losing their almost-relationship, then she would be golden. She had head so much about Shannon and Kelly once Gibbs had started opening up to her, she felt as though she had known them too – as if she had lost them as well.

Fortunately for Abby, lunch didn't happen. As soon as she heard that Petty Officer Eric Hunt had been brought in, she hurried up to the observation room to watch Gibbs' interrogation. She should have known Shannon and Kelly would be there.

Both women looked at her and smiled as she shut the door quietly behind her. She returned the smile, noticing that Tony and Ziva stood watching as Gibbs circled the petty officer, deciding his best approach. Suddenly Gibbs was yelling and it didn't take much before Hunt confessed to killing Kent after finding out Kent had gotten his wife pregnant.

But then he sat back with a cold smile, taunting Gibbs with the fact that no one would find the little girl. Ever.

She wondered if the man had any idea how big a mistake that was. She could see the tension as it pulled at Gibbs. His muscles were tense and she knew it wouldn't take much for him to snap.

"Abby…"

She was one step ahead of Tony. "I'll see what I can find." She glanced one last time at Gibbs through the one-way mirror and then slipped out the door. It was always rough when a child was involved and although by some miracle he'd gotten his daughter back, she was certain it wouldn't lessen the blow if they couldn't locate the little girl.

It was 20 minutes before Gibbs came stalking into the lab, everyone else that had been in observation close behind him. "Abbs…"

"His mother had a small house on some property not far from here and left it to him when she died two years ago. I'm pulling a few more strings, but that's all I've got for you so far."

"I need an-"

"Address, I know." Abby picked up a piece of paper and handed it to him.

"DiNozzo…"

"Gas up the car and meet you out front. On it Boss."

"David…"

"Get McGee, meet out front." Both Tony and Ziva hustled out of the lab.

Abby watched as Gibbs turned to Shannon and Kelly. "You might want to go back to the house, this could take awhile." He turned back to her. "I need you to keep looking."

"Gibbs." She moved in front of him before he could get through the door. "You'll find her."

He didn't look convinced.

"Look, he's already confessed to murder, it wouldn't make a difference if she were dead. He's got her hidden somewhere. He's counting on you not finding her so he can made a deal. But he doesn't know how good NCIS is. You'll find her."

Gibbs looked at her a moment and then brought his thumb to her cheek. "Call me if you find anything else." Then he left.

Although she told Jethro she would head back to the house, Shannon waited until he left and then sent Kelly home with the car, claiming to have errands to do, saying she'd catch a cab back. She felt a little guilty over the lie.

She waited outside the lab, watching curiously as Abby moved from machine to computer and back again. Abby didn't dress the way she would have assumed the forensic scientist for a government agency would dress, but in some way it suited her and made Shannon's lip twist up in a smile. She never would have imagined Jethro falling for someone so unique. She found herself wondering if his exes were more like her or Abby. Not that he had admitted to any feelings for Abby. But there was something about the way he looked at her.

The music was loud and Shannon had to clear her throat twice before Abby heard her.

"Oh, hi!" Abby grabbed the remote and quickly switched off the music. "Is everything okay? Are you looking for-"

Shannon was quick to notice the genuine worry that flashed in Abby's eyes. "Everything is fine," she smiled. "Jethro left already. I just came down to say hello. I get the feeling you are an important person in Jethro's life, so I'd like to get to know you."

"Oh, um, yeah." Abby shifted uncomfortably.

"If you aren't too busy or anything." She knew Abby was running test, but she was just waiting for results. Maybe they could chat.

"I'm not too busy. I've got some searches going, but until my babies beep, I can chat."

Shannon watched as Abby tried to play calm and collected and she found herself wondering what had happened between Abby and Jethro. "How long have you worked here?" She'd start with something simple.

"I've been at NCIS for ten years now." Abby circled the lab, checking on each of the machines she had running. "Which is a good thing. I think most places would hesitate to hire someone like me. "She glanced down at the short skirt she was wearing.

Shannon opened her mouth to comment, but Abby continued.

"Which I'm sure you're wondering how I was hired here. I was the third forensic scientist that week. Gibbs was so mad at the previous two and their incompetence, it was three days before he noticed the way I dress, the tattoos. Director Morrow, the Director at the time, he didn't even blink an eye. All he cared about was my resume."

"So you've worked with Jethro the past ten years?"

"Yeah, for the most part. I run samples for the other teams, but I work more closely with Gibbs' team. Holidays, pizza on the weekends, a beer after work, we're all really close and watch out for each other, you know?"

She wasn't sure how to ask, so she jumped right in. "Did… did he ever talk about Kelly and I?"

Shannon watched as Abby chewed nervously on the inside of her cheek before she chose her words. "He's really guarded about his personal life. We only found out that Jack was alive 18 months ago. We found out about you after he was in an explosion." Abby started to pace. "He suffered from retrograde amnesia, and when he woke up from the coma, he was back in the gulf and had just found out that you died. That's how we found out, that was about 4 years ago."

Shannon swallowed against the lump that formed in her throat. "But he had you, the team, to help him through? You all seem to be so close. From what he's told-"

"He didn't remember us. And when he did…" Abby shrugged. "He left."

"NCIS?"

"Yeah. He moved to Mexico for awhile."

"But he came back? Why?"

"I'm honestly not sure."

"And you…" she was unsure of how to phrase her next question, but was interrupted by the phone in Abby's lab.

"Hello?"

She couldn't hear the caller, but judging by the wide range of emotion openly displayed on Abby's face, she assumed it was Jethro.

"She's not? Okay, let me pull up the map, one second." Abby's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Okay, you can't see it from where you are, but east of the house there are some trees. You see where I'm talking about? Okay, about 150 feet in there is what looks like a shed. Try there? Alright, let me know."

Abby hung up and turned to Shannon, a pained expression on her face. "The girl wasn't in the main house."

"Oh."

"Cases with kids are always difficult."

"I can imagine." Shannon remembered the worry when she first woke up

"It has to do with Kelly, you know? He thought he'd lost her for good and didn't want anyone else to have to go through that if he could help it."

Shannon gave a sad smile. "She had him wrapped around her little finger from the moment she was born. Still does, I'm sure."

"Oh yeah. I bet he was, well, is a good dad. Once we found out about you, he'd share little things every now and again."

Shannon frowned. "I wish… I wish he had been able to settle down, have the happy family life again. It was unfair that Kelly and I got to go lead a semi-normal life while he… I know about the ex-wives. Did you meet any of them? Was he happy for awhile at least?"

"I've met two." Abby shrugged. "It's complicated." She wasn't sure it was her place to discuss his ex-wives.

"Oh God, you weren't one of the ex-wives, were you? I mean, it doesn't matter if you are, I just-"

"Oh no… I'm not on that list." Abby burst out laughing. "I'm not exactly the marrying type."

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because the heart wants what the heart can't have. I'd rather not go with a second choice. And also, I'm not into big stuff like that. I just want someone to love and who will love me back." She shrugged. "Easy as that."

"So you and Jethro…"

"We're just friends." Abby forced out.

"But you're close?"

"Yeah," Abby shrugged. She thought back to when she had said that she and Gibbs we're tighter than blood. Apparently they weren't, not quite. "I mean, you have to be close with your co-workers to work here. We deal with so much death and horrific crimes. I wouldn't last a week if I didn't have such a great support system here in the office."

"Jethro said he considers you all his family." Shannon smiled. "That's nice that he has you."

Abby tried not to let out a sigh of relief. She had avoided using the term 'family', not wanting Shannon to feel like she and Kelly had been replaced. "He uh, he really missed you guys. I'm glad he has you back. Eighteen years later than it should be, but better late than never. I'm, um, I'm really happy for you guys."

"Thank you." Shannon smile sincerely.

"Welcome." Abby nodded and then spun around to answer the phone when it rang. "Hello?"

"Got the little girl," Gibbs' voice rumbled in her ear. "Good work, Abbs."

"She's okay?"

"She's fine, a little scared."

Abby turned to Shannon and gave her a thumbs up. "Anything you need me to do?"

"No." Gibbs disconnected as usual and Abby placed the phone back in the cradle.

"The girl is safe. Gibbs should be back soon. He'll have a bit of paper work, but then I'm sure he'll take you home." Abby glanced over her shoulder at Shannon as she started switching off her machines.

"Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? I know Jethro has been trying to get you over. I could make-"

"Not tonight. Gibbs won't want to talk, not after today, even if he did find the girl."

"Oh, ok."

"Don't be surprised if he's pretty quiet tonight. Not that he's ever been very chatty."

"Ah, well, maybe tomorrow?"

"Um, maybe." She knew she had to go over at some point. She finished shutting down her lab and escorted Shannon up to the squad room to wait for Gibbs. "Have a good night."

Shannon was surprised when Jethro didn't question why she was still at NCIS when he returned. She sat with Ducky and entertained the young girl until her mother arrived and then waited at the agents finished up their paperwork.

Just as Abby said, the moment they got home, Jethro disappeared to the basement. Kelly had a worried look on her face. "He okay?"

"He'll be alright. Abby said he usually disappears to the basement when they've had a hard case involving a kid. I'm sure he'll be up before long." She gave her daughters hand a soft squeeze. "He'll be fine."

They waited around; waiting for him for dinner, but by 8pm when he still hadn't come up Shannon peeked into the basement. "Can I come down?"

"Sure." Gibbs turn to lean back against the boat and watched as Shannon came half way down the stairs.

"You hungry? Kelly and I were thinking of ordering something."

"Nah. Go ahead. I'll just throw something together later."

"Okay." Shannon gave him sad smile. "She's okay though, you found her in time."

"I know." Gibbs turned back to the boat, running his hand over the long beams.

Shannon frowned at the pained expression still on his face, despite knowing he'd found the girl, and then headed back upstairs.

"He's coming up?" Kelly looked up from where she sat on the kitchen counter flipping through take-out menu's. "He's been down there awhile."

"He said to go ahead and eat without him. Why don't you go ahead and order something for us. I'm just going to make a quick phone call." Shannon grabbed her cell phone from the counter and then headed out back.

The phone rang twice before she heard a tired yawn. "Hello?"

"Abby? It's Shannon. Did I wake you?"

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I just… I'm worried about Jethro. Did something else happen with the case that I don't know about? He's still down in the basement."

"Nah, he usually stays down half the night. I usually just leave a sandwich in the fridge and he finds it when he stumbles upstairs in the middle of the night." Abby paused. "Like, after I went home."

"Alright, I guess I'll just let him be then. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

It was nearly mid-night before he was able to drag himself away from the boat. He had stayed sober, meaning to go up earlier, but time slipped away from him. Even with his own daughter back, he couldn't help but relive the pain of losing Kelly.

Shannon was still up when he switched off the basement lights and headed for the fridge to silence his grumbling stomach. He froze when he saw a sandwich prepared and waiting in the fridge. "Abby was here?" He carried the plate out to the living room where Shannon sat watching the late-night news.

"No. Is everything okay?"

Gibbs looked down at the plate in his hands. "Everything is fine. Just been a long day." He sat down beside her to eat the sandwich. It was something Abby did for him after all their hard cases. She always knew he needed to be alone afterwards, but much like herself, he would easily forget to feed himself, so she always made sure he had a sandwich ready to grab. Sometimes she would be so quiet, he wouldn't even hear her come and go, but there was always a sandwich waiting for him.

TBC…

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