Ok, the 'evil hat' wanted to come out and play one last time…
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Gibbs woke early and successfully slid out of bed without waking Abby. He pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and then slipped into his running shoes. He wasn't going to run, he couldn't quite yet, but a long walk in the early morning before work would center his thoughts and keep him focused on the case.
Two of the agents on duty got out of the car to go with him.
They were a few blocks away when Gibbs heard his name being shouted from behind. He turned to look and saw Hollis jogging to catch up with them. "It's a good morning for some fresh air."
"It is." Gibbs eyed Hollis cautiously; curious as to why she was in his neighborhood at just after five in the morning. "Did you have some new information?"
Gibbs started to walk, and Hollis silently motioned for the guards to stay a few steps behind so she could talk to Gibbs alone. "No, I just thought I could use a little fresh air, and then I remembered that you did too. I thought I would check to see if you were out."
It was too early in the morning to talk, so Gibbs just gave a slight nod. He cut his walk short, mumbled a quick goodbye to Hollis without inviting her in, and headed inside to shower.
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Abby woke to the smell of coffee brewing downstairs. After taking a quick shower, she pulled on a pair of black jeans and white t-shirt with skull and crossbones. Taking the stairs two at a time, she found Jack in the kitchen cleaning up the supplies he had used to make pancakes.
A stack of pancakes and a large cup of coffee were placed in front of her when she sat. "Leroy left already, Tony picked him up. Such a helpful young man, that Tony."
"What would you like to do today, Jack?"
"What would you like to do today, my dear?" Jack returned the question.
Abby just shrugged.
They ended up spending the morning visiting with Sister Rosita and friends. They all shared their praise of Gibbs and how he cares for Abby, and Jack was happy to hear it. When lunch time rolled around, Abby directed him to her favorite diner, explaining that he had taken her to his favorite spot in Stillwater, so it was time for her to return the favor.
"Abby!"
Abby spotted Shirley waving frantically from behind the counter as she and Jack entered the diner. "Hi Shirley."
A second waitress led them to a table and handed them each a menu while Shirley finished taking orders out. Abby explained what she considered to be the best things on the menu, and they waited patiently for Shirley to come take their menu.
Shirley motioned for Abby to scoot over so she could sit. "Darlin', you haven't stopped by for weeks! I would've looked up your info, but you've always paid in cash. How've you been, hun?"
"There has been a lot going on, but first this is Jack-"
"My, my Abby, you always bring in the handsome ones, don't you. Does that sweetheart of yours know you're out with another man?" Shirley winked.
"He knows," Abby laughed. "This is his father."
"Jackson Gibbs." Jack reached out his hand and Shirley took it.
"Jackson Gibbs, huh?" Shirley thought for a moment. "Jackson Gibbs… Jackson Gibbs?"
Jack looked at Abby and then back at Shirley.
"You from Stillwater Pennsylvania?"
"I am." Jack nodded. "Do I know you?"
Shirley burst out laughing. "Shirley Baker. We were in Miss Jennings third grade class. You put a worm on my head while I was playing outside and made me cry!"
"Shirley Baker!" Jackson sat back in surprise. "I thought your family moved out west?"
"We did, but then a few years later moved to Virginia and then up here to DC. What a small world. I'd kept in contact with a few people back in Stillwater. My aunt Mildred kept me up-to-date until she died in '83. She told me you had a boy, but I never put two and two together. How you been?"
"I've been doin' alright. Once I got married, old LJ and I opened up a general store on Main Street. I'm still running the place."
Abby looked from Shirley to Jack and back to Shirley as they spoke, delighted to have helped to old friends reconnect.
Jack and Shirley compared brief versions of life stories before Shirley returned the focus back to Abby. "You were going to tell me why you hadn't been in lately."
"Oh." Abby flushed slightly. "Um, Gibbs and I were in a car accident. It's a long story, but someone is after Gibbs and…" The entire story spilled from Abby's lips, ending with Hollis' arrival. She was interrupted by a loud growl from her stomach and Shirley took their orders, vowing to return for the rest of the story once she had their food.
While they waited, Abby questioned Jack on Shirley as a young child and coaxed more stories of his own childhood while growing up in Stillwater.
Shirley returned with two burgers and two milkshakes for Abby and Jack and an iced tea for herself. She untied her apron before reclaiming her spot next to Abby. "So this Hollis woman…?"
"Is head of the case. I know I shouldn't worry, but she's been all over Gibbs and it's driving me nuts… especially since he doesn't seem to notice." Abby continued to explain how Hollis had taken over, even kicked Abby out of her lab.
"You need to get away for a bit. Might do you some good." Shirley switched into her mother-hen mode.
"And where would I go? I can't take a vacation at a time like this."
"You could come back with me. You enjoyed working in the shop last time, and with the amount of customers you brought it, I certainly can't complain."
Abby smiled. She had had a good time.
"And maybe some time away will be a little bit of a wake-up call for that man of yours." Shirley added.
"We'll see. I'll think about it."
Shirley sat with them awhile longer before her break ended. After lunch, after Abby insisted on paying, Jackson drove them to NCIS headquarters. McGee was the only one in the squad room; he stood waiting for a few papers to finish printing off when Jack and Abby entered.
"And this is where… Hi McGee." Abby led Jack towards McGee's desk. "Where is everyone?"
"Hello Jack, it's good to see you again."
"Likewise, Tim." The two shook hands.
"Gibbs, Tony and Ziva are with the director, I'm just finishing printing some papers and then I'm headed up. Hollis is down checking on Conner."
"Oh." Abby turned to Jack. "I've got something you might like to see." Abby moved to Tony's desk and sat down. She jiggled the handle on the bottom drawer and when it proved to be locked, she dug out a few paper clips and had the lock popped in less than a minute – just like Ziva had shown her. Abby lifted the small metal box containing all of Gibbs' awards and placed it on Tony's desk.
"He sure has a lot of these things, doesn't he?"
"He does, but he doesn't want them. Doesn't think he deserves them, so Tony keeps them safe."
Jack looked over the various awards, he didn't know what they were all for, but he felt a sudden surge of pride. His son had made something of himself. He wished he'd given him more credit and supported him more when he had decided to join the marines. Instead Jack had thought that joining the marines would get him nowhere in life. He had been wrong.
Abby was just locking up the drawer again when Gibbs and co. made their way down the steps. Tony eyed Abby suspiciously as she was still seated in his desk, but a smile broke out on his face when she gave him her most innocent smile. Jack moved towards Ziva's desk as she sat and paid her a few compliments, causing her to blush.
Abby was laughing at something Tony had said when Hollis appeared. She moved to stand in front of Gibbs disk, clearing her throat a few times to catch his attention. "Thanks for the walk this morning, Jethro. It's good to get your blood pumping before work."
Gibbs had been busy reading over the latest sightings of Nasser Sharif and heard every other word Hollis said and only gave her a fleeting glance before refocusing on the paper. "Oh, uh huh, okay. Yeah." The rest of the squad room quieted down and then watched Hollis walk away. Ziva caught the smug look on Hollis' face, and only the sharp look from Tony kept her from jumping up and following.
Abby gave Jack a sad look as if to say 'see, she's all over him and he does nothing to stop it'. Jack nodded, he understood. He wasn't sure what Hollis had meant by the 'walk' but whatever it was, she was trying awfully hard to get his attention.
"Gibbs?" Taking a deep breath, Abby decided that she had had enough. She was tired of witnessing Hollis' sad attempts to get attention and was done watching as he did nothing to put her in her place. "I'm leaving."
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TBC…