Abby glanced around her apartment. Gibbs had offered to walk her up, but she knew he was needed by the FBI and as much as she wanted him near-by, she needed to do things on her own. She had put on her big girl smile and squared her shoulders before getting out of the car and walking to the front door of the building. It wasn't until she was inside the elevator that she let herself breathe again.

Her apartment had been aired out a few times by Tony; he watered her plants and checked the place over once a week, but she could still feel that it had been empty the past few weeks. She moved around her apartment, checking that everything was in place, looking at all the photos she had on her bookshelf and talking to Eddie the spider plant in her kitchen window.

Satisfied that everything was the way she left it, Abby grabbed her phone and curled up in her favorite chair. She dialed Tony's number from memory and smiled when he picked up after the first ring.

"Abby! God, how are you? Where are you? Are you alright?"

"Hey Tony, I'm fine. I'm at my apartment."

"Making sure I didn't steal all your stuff?"

"I've given the place a once over, and everything looks like I left it. But don't think I won't do an inventory check," Abby laughed.

"Do I still have time to return that bottle of vodka I snagged?"

"I might give you a few days."

"You really okay? I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine Tony. I want to say thanks for coming over to Gibbs' last night and for watching over my apartment while I was away. It was good to see you all. I can't wait to get back to NCIS so things can get back to normal, you know?"

"I know. We've all missed you at work, not just Gibbs."

"I missed you too."

"He really missed you, I know I've told you before, but holy crap Abbs – he was miserable. I don't want to get into your personal business, well ok I do but I won't, but anyway, you need to, you know, talk to him."

"Thanks Tony." Abby knew he was trying to help. "Anyway, I've got to get going. I think Tobias is still at the hospital and I want to go check on him."

"Call me if you need anything, otherwise I'll see you on Monday, right? You'll be back in the lab?"

"See you Monday. Thanks Tony." Hanging up, Abby tucked her cell phone into her pocket and grabbed her sweater. She gave one last glance around her apartment before grabbing her car keys from their spot on the kitchen counter and heading out to her car.

It took a few tries before she found someone at the hospital who could direct her to Tobias' room. Although his wound wasn't life-threatening, the doctors had decided to keep him overnight to be sure that there was no nerve damage. She knocked softly and then stepped inside the hospital room. Tobias was up, dressed and in the process of filling out some paperwork. "Abby?"

"Hey. How're you?" Abby shifted from foot to foot.

"I'm fine. I'm just about to head out of here. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Still a bit freaked out, but I'll be okay. You have a ride home?"

"I was just going to catch a cab."

"I'll give you a lift. I need to get my things from your place, anyway."

Tobias smiled and then returned his attention to the forms he was filling out. When he was done, Abby followed him to the front desk and then led him out to her car. They swung by the pharmacy to pick up his prescription pain pills and then headed to the grocery store.

"Abby, I've got plenty of food for a few days, and by then I'll be off the prescription pain pills and able to drive myself. You don't need to get me groceries."

"Relax Tobias." Abby parked and then turned to look at him. "I know Emily will be back in a few days and I know she'll want to spend time with her dad. Do you really want to waste that time grocery shopping?" Fornell gave her his best glare, but Abby just laughed it off. "Really, you need to practice that Gibbs stare you've got going on. It's pretty weak. Sit tight, I'll be back in a few."

Abby didn't take long in the grocery store. She knew exactly what he was out of, and picked up a few things she knew Emily would enjoy. Once she paid, she pushed the cart out to her car and smiled when she saw that Tobias had fallen asleep. He woke with a start when she sat in the driver's seat and shut the door. "Just me."

Back at Fornell's Abby directed him onto the sofa and made sure he was comfortable with his arm propped up before she set about unpacking all the groceries. With the pain pills he had been given, Tobias slept for the majority of the morning, only waking when Abby placed a sandwich on the table in front of him. "You need to eat."

He looked down at the sandwich she made him. "Thanks."

"Welcome." They ate lunch silently together, both of them thinking over the previous night's events, unsure of what to say. When lunch was finished, Abby handed him another pain pill and a glass of water before heading upstairs to pack her belongings. She folded her clothing carefully and placed everything into her suitcases. Picking up the team photo she'd placed on the bedside table, Abby ran her fingers over Gibbs and then with a smile on her face, she placed it in her suitcase. She didn't need to look at a photo of him before bed tonight. She was planning on falling asleep with him instead.

Once her things had been packed, and her suitcases zipped, she worked on putting Emily's things back where they belonged. She pulled the sheets from the bed and put them in the wash, and put a clean set of sheets on. By the time she was done, it was past dinner time.

She found Fornell shuffling around the kitchen trying to dig through the refrigerator while trying to support his arm at the same time. "Go rest. I'll figure out dinner." Abby shooed him back out to couch and helped him get settled.

She pawed around the refrigerator, but despite her grocery shopping, nothing really appealed to her. Instead she turned to their old faithful Chinese food. She called in their standard order and busied herself cleaning up around the kitchen while she waited for it to be delivered. She was just bringing Fornell a glass of water when the doorbell rang.

They both froze, their fears from the past few weeks taking over momentarily before Abby took a deep breath and headed for the door. "It's just dinner."

With dinner served, Abby sat opposite Fornell in the arm chair, curling her legs up under her. She picked idly at her food while Fornell ate. They had a lot to talk about, but she wasn't sure how to start or what to say.

"I'm sorry."

Abby looked up sharply when Fornell spoke. "What for?"

"For dragging you into this mess in the first place. I kept you from your life and your friends for four weeks; I nearly got you killed yesterday. I really am sorry."

"It's okay. You kept me safe; I'm not the one that's hurt. You are."

"Gibbs kept you safe. He saved us both."

Abby blushed at the mention of Gibbs. "Yeah, he did save the day, didn't he?"

Fornell was about to comment that it always seemed to be Gibbs saving the day when Abby's phone rang. The smile on her face before she got up to wander toward the kitchen and answer, told him what he needed to know. It was Gibbs.

"Oh Gibbs, I was just about to call. I'm with Tobias. I think I'll be here for awhile." When she had realized how late it was getting she had thought about calling Gibbs. She wanted to go back to his place, for the night and figured she'd let him know she'd be a bit late.

"Oh. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, we're just talking. Um, can I come back over tonight? I mean, I don't have to, it's just that I don't really want to be alone at my place, and uh, I mean I'll be okay if you want your space back, but I just thought I ask…" Abby trailed off. She knew she was blabbering.

"The door is open."

Abby let out a small sigh of relief. "Okay, well then I'll be around later, okay?"

"Okay." Gibbs hung up.

Abby returned to sit across from Fornell. "It was Gibbs."

"I figured. Now that you aren't involved with this case, you plan on spending some time figuring things out with Jethro?"

"Figuring things out?" Abby shrugged. "What is there to figure out?"

Fornell laughed. "Do I really need to spell it out? The man gave me a fat lip when I called him on enjoying playing hero for you."

"Shut up." Abby laughed. "He gave you a fat lip because your agents weren't up to his standards."

"I don't think it has anything to do with my agents." Fornell shifted and winced at the pain that shot through his arm. "How was last night after they carted me to the hospital?"

"Tough. Gibbs brought me here to grab a few things and then took me back to his place. Tony, Ziva, McGee and Ducky showed up to stay with me awhile. It was nice to be around my friends. They always know when I need them."

"Good, I'm glad they are there for you. You deserve friends like that." They chatted awhile longer about the night before, eventually winding up talking about Vincent. There was still no news on whether he would survive his gunshot wound.

"Why'd he do it? I mean, I know why he was after you, but what normal person would go after someone they don't know. What did I ever do?"

"C'mere." Tobias sat up and nodded to the spot beside him. When Abby was seated beside him, he put his good arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a half hug. "It wasn't ever anything that you did. You were seen next to me at a bar and he assumed things that weren't true. It was nothing that you did." When Abby let out a heavy sigh, Fornell gave her a little squeeze and kissed the top of her head gently. "It's getting late, you should go to Gibbs. He needs you just as much as you need him."

Abby glanced at her watch, it was nearly midnight. She hadn't meant to stay quite so late, but there was no one besides Fornell who completely understood what she had been through, and she was glad to talk with him about the whole situation.

"I probably should. Need anything before I go?"

"Nah, I'm just going to try and get some sleep. Let me know once you give your statement. They call you about that yet?"

"No. I thought they would have by now." Abby stood and pulled on her jacket.

"I spoke to Agent Larson this morning when he came for my statement. I asked them to wait and contact you at NCIS on Monday so that you could have a little space."

"Thanks. I'll call you on Monday, but don't hesitate to call if you need anything. Okay? I can check in with you tomorrow, if you like?"

"I'll be fine Abby, thank you." Fornell followed her to the door. "Tell Jethro I said thank you."

"I will." Abby headed out to her car with a small wave. She glanced across the street to where the two extra agents had been staying. She smiled the whole way back to Gibbs' place; she felt much better compared to the night before, and she couldn't wait to see Gibbs.

She was surprised to see the basement light wasn't on; she knew he usually worked until one a.m. down on his boat and it was only quarter past midnight. She grabbed her bag and headed up the front steps. As promised, the door was unlocked, but Abby was confused to find the house dark with the exception of the hall light. "Gibbs?"

----

TBC…