His team was going missing, one by one.
Gibbs sat at his desk, trying to shut out the urge to close his eyes, and fall asleep. He looked at the three empty desks in his squad room, reflecting with the little slice of his brain that was still thinking straight. What had gone wrong? Why hadn't everything worked out as it always did? There were just too many 'why's, too many questions to answer.
For one thing, his routine was gone, down the drain. He had not gone to Ducky for an autopsy report, not gone down to see Abby for the forensics, not had his usual shot of coffee. There were too many things he had not done, and he needed to get things back on track.
And then he knew. Much as his team needed him to keep them in check, he needed them too, even if he wouldn't want to admit it. It was a fragile thread which bound them together, that broken past each one of them had. Every one of them needed the other.
They were like his three kids, trying to outshine each other, vying for daddy's attention. His mind replayed the scene in the elevator.
"He would have found out anyway. He's more observant than you think."
"Oh, so now you're telling me what to think?"
"Sometimes I have to. You underestimate him."
The scene flashed in his mind, his senior field agent's scowl, and obvious exasperation. Was DiNozzo right? Did he underestimate McGee, or anyone else, for that matter? Which led back to the main question: Where was his team now?
He narrowed down the possibilities. Coffee, Autopsy and Abby's lab. A thought niggled at him, they would probably be at Abby's lab. But he decided to try Autopsy first, although he doubted that they would be there. He got out of his office chair, wincing at the sound it made, and headed to the lift.
"Jethro!" Ducky said, as Gibbs slipped through the Autopsy suite's automatic doors. "I knew it wouldn't be long before you came down." Gibbs looked around the cold metal room, looking for any sign of his team. He did not find any.
"Not now, Duck. I will be back soon." He promised. Ducky did not seem surprise.
"Looking for your team, I suppose?" he asked.
"Yeah." Gibbs replied, slowly and carefully.
"Off you go, then." Ducky replied. Gibbs stopped, as though realizing something.
"Did any of them say anything to you?" he asked, with a little more than a tinge of suspicion in his voice.
"No, but even if they did-"
"Doctor-patient confidentiality." Gibbs answered, in a resigned tone, gave Ducky a parting smile usually reserved for Abby and the medical examiner, and slipped out the doors, and into the elevator.
It was one of those rare times when Abby's lab was silent, no music pulsing from its speakers, usually rendering Gibbs half deaf. It was a good thing, because Gibbs' ears were particularly sensitive that morning. Abby sat at a monitor, typing into a transparent keyboard. "Hey Abbs." He whispered into her ear. Abby jumped.
"Gibbs!" she gasped. "Don't do that!" Gibbs sharp eyes spotted his senior field agent and McGee lying asleep on the metal table, and he looked at Abby with a 'when were you going to tell me?' look. She looked at him, like the cat who ate the canary, and got found out. "Gibbs. Come back at one, please?" she asked.
Gibbs did not answer, but instead walked to the door, and peered further in, and spotted Ziva lying fast asleep on the futon Abby kept in the lab. "Abby…"
"Gibbs, please. They need it." She pleaded. Gibbs sighed, and inwardly felt sorry for his agents, watching them sleep. He, too had been there, done that. And anyway, they looked so…angelic, for once. He hid a smile, and turned back to Abby.
"One?" Abby smiled, and nodded.
"One. Would a hug make you feel better?" Gibbs nodded, and gave the scientist a hug, and a kiss to the forehead, before leaving the lab again. "Thanks, Gibbs." She said, softly, as she heard the elevator doors ding shut.
A/N Okay, I guess this isn't anything that would actually happen, but I liked doing this more Gibbs-getting-in-touch-with-his-inner-feelings chapter, because despite what some people think about him not having any feelings or anything, Gibbs does have feelings, and in this chapter he's softer than what you would usually see.
Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Hope you liked it, do leave me a review, and favourite/follow, thank you!
-Eliza:)