Epilogue

A/N Hi everyone!
I know I really should be working on ´tea and sea shells´ and I am, but I just got so busy with school and I also got a little stuck with writers block. The readers of that story will have to wait a little bit more, sorry...

Some readers told me they wanted to see Abby and Gibbs adopt Luca. I'm gonna be honest: I like the idea, but I don't like the whole we-got-a-baby-yay thing. That's not gonna happen. This'll stay a just an epilogue for now, because I'm going to Africa for half a year to do volunteer work, so I won't be doing any writing soon.

Oh, did any of you see the episode where Abby gets a nightmare and calls Gibbs? I was so amazed! I kept staring at the tv screen with my mouth open and I went like: Omg maybe she'll be kidnapped now! But she wasn't. Hm. It's too bad, really.

This epilogue is for Kyddo!

Anyways, enjoy!

Xxx

A year. A whole year.

A lot of things happened in a year.

People change, move, fall in and out of love.

Just one year.

People are born. And people die.

She wasn't going to say it was just one year since she was kidnapped, but it didn't feel like that long. Abby could remember the horror of being imprisoned all too well. She didn't think those faces would ever disappear from her dreams. They probably would stay with her for the rest of her life, and she wouldn´t know what she would´ve done if she would be alone in this. Thank god she wasn´t coping alone. She thought of him with an absent smile while she slowly brushed her black hair that was still dripping from the shower. The bags under her eyes revealed just a little too much of the horror that would captivate her at every least expected moment and leave her restless for hours. If it wasn't for him… She sighed and put down her brush.
The man that was with her during all the nightmares was also the only one that could help her get through them. The one person that would head-slap everyone who would bother her and would bring her a caf-POW afterwards. Gibbs.

She had moved in with him. Her stuff was now in his house, reminding her every day how lucky she was. When they would cuddle on his couch, he would often tuck her in her blanket with the skull pattern to make sure she wasn´t cold and just stroke her hair.
He was everything.
She didn´t know how she had managed to get through every single day without him being there for her. So even if it didn´t feel that long, she was already completely used to them being, well them. Not everything had changed though. She was still working at NCIS as the brilliant young scientist, solving cases every day. Ziva and Tony, well of course they denied everything, were sort of an item. They didn´t give anything away, but you couldn´t fool Gibbs. And everything Gibbs knew, Abby knew. She finished brushing her hair and applied some extra make-up under her eyes. Not like she would fool Gibbs but she could at least try, right?
She pulled on a light green sweater and tried to spot her cell phone in the progress. This time she was not calling the thing with Gibbs phone to find it. This time she was just gonna remember where she put it…
"Gotcha," the girl mumbled out loud when she pulled the phone out from under a black t-shirt that she had carelessly tossed on a chair earlier. The bright screen told her that she was, in fact, very late. One look out of the window told the black haired girl that Gibbs wasn't sitting in his car yet. So she wasn't really that late… She could easily look for another pair of boots since she had to look her best today and these just didn't suit her mood. Her car had finally broken down about half a year ago, resulting in them car-pooling every workday- not like they didn't do that before.
One year. So much had happened.
All of the kids she had got to know so well in that time in Mexico had grown older. Abby hadn't seen them for so long! She was actually a little nervous to see them today.
Would they still be the same? What if they didn't like her anymore?

Suddenly, she just really needed Gibbs.

Xxxx

"Come on, we're gonna be late!" Gibbs yelled, standing on the bottom of the stairs. What was it with women and being late? He was just about to give up and already go start the car, when his favorite girl came rushing down. Because of the speed, she almost made them both fall over when she jumped into his arms.
"Hey beautiful," the silver haired man murmured, burying his face in her soft hair. She hadn't pulled it up in her ponytails yet and it flowed gracefully around her shoulders. He loved the smell of her shampoo and the feel of his embrace around her small shoulders.

It had been exactly a year since she'd disappeared. Yet not a day had passed in which he didn't think about it. Usually at night, when he would suddenly wake up and didn't immediately see her. Of course, Gibbs always found her right there beside him when he blinked a few times. She was his now. His to care about, to protect.

To love.

His little lab rat was finally his. It was still so much to take in. Lovingly, he brushed his lips against hers, tightening his embrace. She immediately kissed him back. After a moment they parted, panting.
"You know you're the one making us terribly late now, do you?" Abby whispered teasingly in his ear.
"Yeah, I know," he told her absently, while running his fingers through her hair. After a few seconds, he slowly released her. But not without feeling that particular pang of regret he always felt when he had to let her go. "You're right, though. We should get going." Gibbs ran his eyes up and down her figure. "You sure we're ready?" She was wearing a black dress that fell just above the knee. Black lace decorated her pale skin and she looked beautiful. But the dress left her arms bare and Gibbs noticed her shivering.

"I´ll get your coat," he offered gently, and helped her put it on. When he carefully fastened the buttons he caught her staring at him. "What?" he asked amused, opening the door for her.
"Nothing," she answered semi-innocent, with lights sparkling in her emerald eyes. The black haired girl remained silent when they walked out of Gibbs front yard. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to him. "I'm just… I'm just really happy that I have you with me." That made him smile. He grasped her hand in his and pulled her against his side. He leaned in and whispered:
"Same here," in her ear. He grabbed her hand and they started walking, like the couples that they'd both watched with so much envy before. Gibbs felt so content, like he was still dreaming.

Xxxx

It was already four pm when they reached the bar where they were supposed to meet the others. They were already there, and that made the forensic scientist realize that they actually were a little late. The only they saw first was Jasmin. She was absently drinking a glass of apple juice, now and then gesturing something to a woman who was sitting next to her. That must be her mother, Abby realized. They had come all the way from Miami just to be here this day. Without thinking, she released Gibbs' hand and ran to the girl, wrapping her in a big hug. Jasmin almost dropped her drink when he enthusiastically answered the hug. Soon they were engaged in a vivid conversation, their hands moving as fast as lightning. The Goth girl someone tapping her shoulder and she turned around, only to shriek at the sight of the twins. She immediately sank to her knees.

"Danai! Jadelyn! How are you two? Not getting in trouble, I hope?" she told them with a wink. "Oh, I love how you did your hair, so cool!" The two little girls buried themselves in her arms while loudly calling her name. She hadn't seen them for two months or so, because they had just gone on a holiday to France. Their parents were standing behind them, smiling fondly. Ever since they had both of their children back unharmed they were determined to spent as much time with them as possible. Hence the trip to Paris. The two girls were dressed in identical pink coats and red scarves. It would probably make it really hard for Gibbs to keep them apart, the black haired girl realized. She threw a look over her shoulder and caught his eye. He looked slightly uncomfortable. Just what she thought.
"Gibbs, look how pretty Jadelin's scarf is!" She told him while pointing at Jadelin.
"Yeah, I can see it." Gibbs gave them a friendly smile.
"Hey, my scarf is pretty too!" Danai yelled, pushing her sister aside. Jadelin pushed back and both sisters looked at each other angrily.
"Hey, you both look very nice," the senior agent told them. "Where did you buy them?"
"Oh! We went to Paris!"
"Yeah and it was so much fun!"
"And we saw the Eiffel tower-"
"Yeah, the tower!"
"And we buyed an little Eiffel tower, too!"
"And, and…"

As Gibbs listened to the two girls chatting away, Abby went searching for the very last person that they were expecting. The bar was pretty crowded, but after she looked around, she knew that he wasn't here for sure. The girl threw a look at her watch. Ten past four. Hm. Luca was late. Jasmin's mother came up to her, pointing at the clock.
"I'm sorry, but if we want to catch our bus later we really have to leave."
"Yeah, okay, just… let me check one more time." Abby felt really troubled. They had to go, but Luca wasn't here yet. She bit her lower lip, trying to think of a plan. Suddenly, she had an idea. The forensic scientist cleared her throat.
"Okay, listen people! Since Luca isn't here yet, I'm gonna pick him up and meet everyone in ten minutes at the cemetery. Everyone fine with this?" No one complained. They all retrieved their coats and headed for their cars. Someone grasped her wrist. Gibbs.
"Sorry," she said, biting her lip. "I just feel like something is wrong. We can't go to Victor without Luca. That's just not right, Gibbs!" He didn't say anything, just gave her the 'shut-up-and-just-do-it' look. His girlfriend grinned. She knew that look all too well. "You can drive."

Xxxx

Gibbs observed her silently as Abby searched for the address with her phone.
"Found it!" she declared only moments later, and entered the data in their GPS system. For Gibbs, it was all a big mystery how she could get a hold of the information that quickly, but he decided to give it a rest. He was never going to understand modern equipment anyway. He glanced at the screen. To his relief, it was a five-minute drive. Good. His girl was nervous enough already, to the point of biting her nails. This was really bugging her.
He put his free hand on her knee, as a way of comfort. Softly stroking up and down.
"We're almost there." She nodded.
"I know."

They spent the rest of the time in silence until the silver haired agent parked the car in front of an ordinary town house. Abby was already leaving the car, when he stopped her.
"You're not going in there alone." He left the car and opened the door for her. "Let's go." She stared at him for a few seconds, before sighing and taking his hand. It wasn't like she didn't know where his over-protecting behavior came from. He was always like this, buttoning up her coat, opening doors, never letting her leave his sight. It had slowly become a second nature of his, and Abby had slowly gotten used to it, because she let him do those things. He gave her a small kiss on her cheek and gestured for her to follow him. Abby walked up the front steps and rang the bell. Heavy footsteps became audible. As the door opened, they were faced with a large, muscular man. He reeked of beer and his tight blue shirt was covered in dirty stains. The man narrowed his small pig-like eyes when he saw the people standing on his doorstep.

"And who may you be?" he asked, rather impolite. Abby took a small step back, causing her to bump against Gibbs' chest. The ex marine, however, wasn't in the least intimidated. He tried to surreptitiously place his body protectively in front her.
"Special agent Gibbs, NCIS." He flashed his badge, and noticed with satisfaction how the man suddenly looked a tad anxious. "We're here for Luca," Abby added. The man narrowed his eyes again.
"Who?"
"Isn't this the address of Luca West?" Gibbs frowned. That little boy couldn't really be living with this person. However, the man's face suddenly lit up.
"Oh, that kid. Yeah, sure, I'll get him. You stay here. I mean it." The threat was obvious. They looked at each other with mirroring looks of horror. Tears were already forming in Abby's eyes as she shuffled just a bit closer to him. Then they heard a noise and the man pushed the door open again.
"Sorry. He's ill and can't come down. Can't help you. Bye." He was already closing the door when Gibbs firmly intervened by putting a foot between the door and the wall. Fast as lightning, he grabbed the man's collar and roughly pulled him forwards so that his face was really close to his.
"Listen. You got a choice here. Either you show us the boy right now, or I'll call for a warrant. That might take me an hour but then my team will turn this entire place upside down. Your choice."
The man paled visibly.
"O-okay. Just... wait." The man stumbled away again, leaving the smell of alcohol again. Abby was really shaking now. Gibbs could feel her shivering against him. If that little boy was hurt in any way, he was going to kill the guy.

Soft footsteps. Little hands pushed open the door. It instantly closed behind him, but they didn't care. Because Luca was standing there, staring at them with big, hazy eyes like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was wearing a thin shirt and shorts despite the cold weather, causing him to shiver all over. Abby wrapped him a tight hug, rubbing her hands up and down his arms. She didn't seem to be able to talk, so Gibbs addressed the boy himself.
"Luca? Are you alright?" he asked in a gentle voice. The boy turned his head to the NCIS agent without indicating that he'd actually heard him. "Are you hurt somewhere?" The boy slowly shrugged. "Come Abbs, get him in the car." She lifted the boy and he opened the car door for them. The forensic scientist pulled him up her lap in the front seat, while he walked around and climbed in the driver's seat. He immediately turned to Abby and Luca.
"Is he alright?"
"Gibbs…" she managed to say. "He´s not responding".

Xxx

"Yes, he's finally sleeping now. Yes, he's really alright. After the hospital gave him permission to leave, we took him to our home. He's probably staying here for a while, so you can come visit anytime you want. Did you leave a flower from me with Victor? Thanks so much. Yes, I'll talk to you soon. Bye!" Gibbs listened as his Abby finished her conversation with Jadelin and Danai's mother and turned to him with tired eyes. He knew how this day had put a strain on her. After Luka had fainted in the car, he had driven to the hospital as soon as possible. After a fast check-up, the doctors concluded that he suffered from malnutrition and he caught a bad cold. Combine that with the thin clothes he'd been wearing and you got a deadly combination. The NCIS agent had seen Abby turn more pale with every word the doctor said and he felt anger building up inside of him. He knew his usual bubbly Goth girl would blame herself for this, no matter what he would say. Why hadn't they checked up on Luca earlier? As if she was guessing his thoughts, Abby looked at him and asked:
"Why didn't we see this Gibbs? Why didn't I see this?" She didn't let him answer, instead started pacing across the room. "I talked to him over the phone just a few days ago and he seemed just fine! Maybe a little tired, but I didn't thought… God, was I too busy with myself to notice anything was wrong? I haven't seen him in months, Gibbs! I should've… should have…" She broke down, softly crying and he was at her side in two seconds, pulling her in a warm embrace.
"Shh," he told her softly, stroking her back. "It's alright. He's alright."
"I should go…" She freed herself from his hold. "I should check up on him."
"Hey. Abby, look at me." She turned around. "We're in this together, okay? And the people who put him in that foster home are going down. We're on this." Abby said nothing. For a second, it looked like she might start crying again, but then she bravely swallowed and brushed away her tears with the back of her hand.
"Okay." She managed a weak smile and went upstairs, where the little boy was sleeping in their guest room. Gibbs had to stop himself from following her and instead went to make some calls.

3 months later

"Look kid, just move this thing up and down, it makes the wood feel very soft. See?" The little boy rubbed with his hand over the side of the boat and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Can I try, can I try?"
"Sure." Gibbs gave him the sanding tool and watched in amusement as the boy stood on the tip of his toes, trying to reach as high as possible. "Come here, I'll lift ya." He lifted him up and the boy started sanding with the tip of his tongue sticking out of his mouth.

"Still working on the boat, I see?" They both turned their heads to the top of the stairs where Abby was standing, looking amused. "Then I guess there's no time for lemonade now, is there?"
"There is!" Luca yelled, trying to get down. Gibbs let him go with a laugh and watched as the little boy ran up the stairs, following Abby to the kitchen. It'd only been a few months, but the little boy was finally becoming exactly that: just a little boy. He was not the thin, scarred boy anymore with the expression of a person who'd seen too much pain in their life and who had just given up. It hadn't been easy to get him to trust them, but Luca finally felt at peace again. That's why today it was the perfect day to tell him the news. Even Abby didn't know yet. Gibbs smiled as he carefully put the sander back into its box. She was going to be thrilled.
He had been pulling strings and collecting favors for a while now, but it was finally official.

Gibbs placed the box on its shelf and observed his boat for a moment. It was almost finished now. But this time, he wasn't going to break it down. He was going to keep it and sail with his soon-to-be-wife and son.

But first, there were more important things to do.

He went up the stairs to tell Luca he was finally home.