Chapter 3: The reason behind

A/N Hi everyone!
Thank you for your reviews! I love you! I tried to update as soon as possible as a reward ;)
And yeah, I'm overdoing it with the cliffhangers… ah well.
I didn't have someone proof reading my chapter because there was too little time: so there will be mistakes. Sorry.

The street was deserted. The only thing he heard were the tired of a car somewhere in the distance. One of the streetlights blinked repeatedly. On and off. On and off. The light shone dimly on a bright, red vehicle that was parked in front of his house.
His heart stopped when he suddenly recognized the car.
Abby.
Panic flooded through him when he ran to her car, oblivious that he was still in his pyjamas. It was empty. He tried the door and found that it was slightly open. The driver's seat still felt warm when he rested his hand on it. She'd just been here, he realized.
"Abby?" he yelled, looking around wildly. No answer. Where the hell was she? He even checked under the car. No Abby. He ran inside again to get his cell phone. Urgently, he flipped it open and called her cell. It wasn't answered. Frustrated, he called her home number, remembering it without fail. Nothing
Wait, hadn't she stayed the night with Ziva today? He called her immediately. It didn't even took 2 seconds before the phone was answered.
"Yes?" Either she was still up or she was too well trained, Gibbs thought absent mindedly.
"Ziva." His voice sounded upset. "Abby with you?"
"Abby?" Her voice rose. "No, she went home yesterday, like everyone. Is something wrong?" She wasn't done talking, but he already hung up on her. He called Abby again. Still nothing. Her car was here, and she must have been here not too long ago. Did she ring his doorbell? Maybe that car that he heard before had something to do with it? If so, did he come... too late?
Gibbs would never forgive himself if that was true. He couldn't think straight anymore.
The next number he called was Dinozzo's. Tony picked up just when he was about to hang up.
"Boss," he stated in a sleepy voice. "It's 3.35. That's practically in the middle of the night."
"Yeah? Well, get used to it!" he snarled annoyed. "It's Abby. She disappeared."
"WHAT? How-"
"Dinozzo!" Gibbs interrupted him. "Get your ass in DC. Now!" Tony's protest vanished like thin air and he stuttered a "Yes boss." (A/N Yeah I know that's wrong)
Last one: McGee. Meanwhile, the special agent was putting on some clothes, the phone pressed between his shoulder and ear as it rang. McGee always had a bit of both Tony and Ziva; he answered after a reasonable amount of time.
"Boss? A death body at this hour?" The youngest agent is his team sounded tired but alarmed.
"It's Abby." Gibbs swallowed because his mouth suddenly felt very dry. Panic was building up in his chest again. He couldn't lose Abby. He just couldn't. He knew how it felt when you lose someone you love; he already was too familiar with the heart-breaking feelings. He lost so many people, but not Abby. She was all he had left. If she would… disappear… it would be the biggest injustice of all.
"On my way, boss." McGee hung up. Something had happened to her on the way from her car to his house, and he needed to know why as soon as possible. Gibbs crushed his phone in his hands, before stuffing it in the pocket of his suit.

Now that he called his team, he put on the rest of his clothes and two minutes later he was on his way to DC with a speed that made his tires screech every time he made a round.

Good thing there wasn't any traffic at all. The less time he wasted on getting there, the better. The special agent wasn't someone who would easily admit his fear, but if it was about Abby things never were easy. He speeded his car up some more, breaking a few more traffic laws in the process.

The grey building was covered in darkness. So that meant that none of the others was here yet. Angrily, Gibbs wanted to dial the first number in his address book after Abby's: McGee's number. But just before he could finish dialing, another car joined his in the empty parking lot. McGee and Tony stumbled out of the back seat with a dazed look in his their eyes. Ziva got out of the front seat with a cat-like jump.
"I picked them up Gibbs," she explained, while gesturing in Tony and McGee's direction. "They are still a little…" She flinched when Tony walked into a solid wall. "disoriented." The mossad agent gave him a nervous smile, which he chose to ignore. He was already on his way to the elevator before his team noticed. He heard that they started running to catch up with him. Their loud footsteps resonated through the parking lot. Normally, he would secretly smile when no one was watching, but now his thoughts were miles away. Something bad happened to her, he knew it. His gut told him so. They waited in the elevator in silence. She couldn't be too far away already. There was still time. There had to be. So Leroy Jethro Gibbs marched to the nearest computer and snarled: "McGee, track her cell phone, NOW!" he added when the youngest agent hesitantly walked towards his desk. McGee immediately started typing like his life depended on it. The other two members of his team immediately flew to Gibbs side.
"Ziva, search for satellite images of my street from 2 am until now."
"Yes boss!"
"And, uhh, me, boss?" Tony asked, slightly nervous. Gibbs hesitated. It was too early to let him go through Abby's credit card records.
"Go help them!" he shouted and stormed away.

When Gibbs came in, he already noticed the difference. Abby's lab was cold and quiet. Without her loud music, black decorations and beeping machines, it seemed almost just like an ordinary lab. The absence of the Goth forensic scientist was disturbing, even felt 'wrong' in a way. He needed to get her back in her lab, where he could keep her safe. Right by his side: where she belonged. Wait. He froze. "Wha.." he mumbled to himself, surprised. Why did I think that? It's not like it's really possible… for us to be … more. He used to say it all the time: Last thing I need is another wife. But somehow, that didn't feel as definite as it did before. But Gibbs always had been a man of priorities and right now, Abby had disappeared. He couldn't think about his feelings for her when she was in danger somehow. No matter how messed up his head was right now, he had to think now.
He forced himself to look through her things, searching for a clue; anything that could lead to her whereabouts. Of course, he wasn't that lucky. He only found her grey stuffed animal, Bert the hippo. Gibbs knew how much the toy meant to her, so he took it with him. And with the stuffed animal grasped in his hand he, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, made a promise. Whatever it took, he would safe her. Even if it cost him his life. Because she was his forensic scientist. Because she was Abby. And because he loved her.