Okay, so I am really sorry I haven't written a whole lot or totally amazingly well. My Christmas break ended on the fifth of January and I haven't had a whole lot of time, what with school. Not only that but I jammed my finger super bad and it kills to type. I know, I know, not the greatest excuses for depriving my amazing readers, but that's all I've got. Thanks so much for sticking with me, and now on with the story!
~Lyssa
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"Where's Gibbs?" Abby asked, walking into the room.
"In there interviewing Rebecca Laurelton. Why?" Tony asked.
"Can you get him out of there? Please, Tony." Abby replied, smiling.
"Abby…"
"Please Tony!"
"Fine." Tony replied reluctantly, walking out.
He softly knocked on the interrogation room door, then opened it, "Boss?"
"Yeah, DiNozzo?" Gibbs replied shortly.
"Abby needs you."
Gibbs sighed, grabbing the case file, "I'll be right back, Miss Laurelton." On one hand, Gibbs didn't like being interrupted during an interrogation. On the other, he was very happy to see Abby. He brushed past Tony and into the other room.
"Abs?" Gibbs asked, revealing nothing in his words.
"Gibbs," Abby replied happily, almost sounding surprised to see him, "I have news."
"Yeah?"
"Well, I thought the low levels of GHB were a little hinky. So, I asked Ducky where he got the blood sample from, which it was Petty Officer McDaniel's thigh. We searched around his thigh and found a needle mark. The muscular tissue surrounding it was concentrated with GHB."
"So?"
"So the petty officer was drugged after he died."
"Which would mean the wife, our current suspect, was framed." Tony said, pointing his finger at Abby.
"Exactly!" Abby replied.
"Who could possibly get the DNA, the cigarette—" Ziva started.
"Ms. McDaniels has a boyfriend." Tony interrupted.
Gibbs smiled, "Good work, Abs."
He kissed her on the cheek, lingering a bit longer than he knew he should. He stepped out quickly to finish the interrogation, leaving a smiling Abby, a giggling Ziva, and a completely confused Tony.
**********
"Rebecca, where were you the night Petty Officer McDaniels died?" Gibbs asked, sitting down.
"I was with my mother. She's sick." She replied, her eyes filling with tears.
"What was your relationship with him?"
"He was my boyfriend… I-I thought he was going to propose. He kept leaving all of these cute little hints… I loved him… I still do."
"I'm sorry to tell you, Rebecca, that he had picked out a ring the day before he died."
Her face took on a fallen, hurt look. The kind where you thought, you knew you were happy. That everything was perfect, but in an instant all that happiness was taken from you. Gibbs had seen that look before, oh his own face, years ago, when Shannon and Kelly were killed. He swallowed back the pain that always followed thinking about them. He walked out quietly, leaving Rebecca to her tears, his team following his steps.
"Poor Rebecca. She really did love him." Abby said solemnly when they were all back up in the bullpen. She had seen the look on Gibbs' face as he told Rebecca about the ring. Now she just wanted to pull him into her arms and make that look go away.
"We need to get Ms. McDaniels in here and her boyfriend." Gibbs said, his eyes dark, his voice bitter.
"On it, boss." Tony replied, sitting down and picking up the phone.
"Ziva, McGee, go home if you want." Gibbs said softly.
"I'll be down in my lab." Abby spoke up. She leaned over and hugged Gibbs tightly, silently letting him know that she'd always be there.
**********
Gibbs made his way down to Ducky, just to tell him to go home. When he walked in, the good doctor was just finishing up with the petty officer, Palmer nowhere in sight.
"Hey Duck."
"Jethro, so good to see you."
"You almost done?"
"I am. It was very fortunate for Abigail to have come down here, asking about the drugs in his system. I wouldn't have found the needle mark without her."
"Abby's a great girl." Gibbs replied, smiling slightly.
"She is, Jethro." Ducky smiled back, walking over to the sink to wash his hands. He always knew there was something between Jethro and Abigail. Being the noble Scotsman he was, he stayed out of it for the most part. However, some prodding was necessary as stubborn as they both were.
"Ducky, can I ask you something?"
"Of course." He replied, drying his hands.
"Are you happy?"
Ducky stopped, looking Gibbs in the eyes, "Everyday I see how cruel and heartless this world can be. In light of that, I can truly say I've never been more happy, surrounded by the people I love."
Gibbs looked away. He hadn't been happy in a long time, and part of that was because of Shannon and Kelly. He loved them… but he loved Abby, too. He always had.
"Jethro, they're gone. We need you, but more than anything, Abigail needs you."
"She does?" He replied, his voice vulnerable.
"She does. She loves you, Jethro. She always has."
**********
"What do you need, McGee?" Abby asked, knowing he was in her lab.
"Um, I just wanted to see how you were doing."
"Oh… well, I'm fine." Abby replied, turning away from her computer.
"That's good."
"Tim, why are you really down here?"
"Wa—," Tim sighed, "Tony sent me down here."
"Why?"
"Well, Ziva was supposed to find out why Gibbs was acting so weird, and she obviously failed, so he sent me." McGee replied nervously.
"Why do you guys think I know every goddamn thing about Gibbs?!"
"I—I don't know, Abby… I'm sorry?"
"McGee! Don't say sorry, it's a sign of weakness."
"Okay?"
"Now, I have no idea what is with Gibbs today. Or even if there is anything with Gibbs today. He's been the same to me today as he has been everyday. He's not a machine, Tim. He's a person. He has feelings."
"We're just worried."
"What do you think I am everyday?"
"Abby, that's not… I… yeah. Got it."
"Good. Did you need anything else?"
"Truthfully, how are you?"
"I'm great, McGee. Tired, but great. I can't wait till we solve this case. Did we get the ex-wife and her boyfriend in here yet?"
"Tony called them, and Ms. McDaniels said she couldn't come in until tomorrow and when she did she would have her boyfriend, who's name is Michael Taylor, come in with her." McGee replied matter-of-factly.
"Ugh, I hate that name." Abby said with disgust.
"So do I." McGee added.
"And so do I." Gibbs said, walking in calmly.
"Gibbs!" Abby said happily, smiling.
"Abs." Gibbs replied, also smiling.
"Err…" Tim said, the awkwardness of his being there enough to make his skin crawl.
"Thought you were going home, McGee?" Gibbs asked, humor in his voice.
"Right, boss. Long day. Oh, the ex and her boyfriend are coming in tomorrow. I was just down here telling Abby that."
"Well now she knows." Gibbs replied, trying to get Tim to leave.
"Yeah… um, I'll just be leaving now. Goodnight Abby, boss." Tim slowly backed out, before turning away, a bit embarrassed.
"Thanks Gibbs. It's always been kind of weird with McGee, since I totally ended our fling."
"Fling?"
"You don't want to know."
"Understood."
"So… I, uh, guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow then?"
"You didn't think you were getting off that easy, did you?" Gibbs said, a hint of devilishness in his voice as he leaned in close to her.
"I just… I figured what with the case and all."
"You're coming home with me tonight, Abby." Gibbs replied, Abby's lips curving up into a smile.
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