I tried to reply to reviews last night, but it kept telling me they didn't exist. 0.o Anyway, they are, of course, much appreciated, and I'm so glad people are enjoying this bit.

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"Stop Gibbs, we've figured it out. Well, I figured it out, actually, and I probably would have a lot sooner had I not been kicked out of my lab, but then with this new evidence something came to me, and it was a lead that I had to follow because if I didn't, who knows if Hollis would've picked up on it, because really, it was just something that I happened to notice while I was here last time, and…"

Gibbs put a stop to her ramble with a raised eyebrow and a cold stare before looking past her to Tony. "What the hell do you two think you're doing?"

"Gibbs," Abby placed her hands on his shoulders and backed him up a few steps. "We weren't going to try and bring him in or anything," she lied. "I just wanted to confirm some things before you sent the troops up."

"Abby! You could've been hurt, even killed… You don't know what Chuck-"

"Chuck?" Abby cut him off. "It wasn't Chuck Winslow, Gibbs. It was Ed."

"Ed?"

Abby watched as the realization washed over him. She anticipated his next move and grabbed hold of his shirt before he could get away. "No, Gibbs, you can't. You aren't on the case, you can't…"

"The hell I can't!" Gibbs yanked his arm free, but stopped when the three agents rushed towards the door to stand in front of it.

"She is right," Ziva spoke up first. "You cannot go. We will bring him in. He will get what he has coming."

"We won't let you down, boss." McGee added.

Tony knew he was in enough trouble so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"They are right, son. With everything you've been through… just let them do their job, so we can put all of this behind us."

Gibbs said nothing, but instead slammed his fist down on the counter and edged away from the door. The Ziva, McGee and Tony took it as their cue to leave, all of them patting their hips to be sure their guns were in the correct spot.

"Gibbs-" Abby took a step closer.

"Don't Abby." He was still too angry to talk.

Abby frowned. She figured he'd be upset, but she didn't think he'd push her away, not like this. She looked at Jack and shrugged. There was nothing she could do, but wait it out. He didn't talk until he was ready. "I'm just going for a walk; don't worry, in the opposite direction." She knew they would both worry that she would try to play hero and follow the team.

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Jack waited until Abby was out of the store. "Was that necessary?"

"What?" Gibbs spun around to face his father.

"Pushing her away like that. Must be how you lost those stand-in wives you've had."

"That was low."

"It needed to be said. You would've done the same thing, had you been in her position."

"She isn't an agent, she could've been hurt or even worse – she could've died." Gibbs paced the store.

Jack stood in his spot. "No, she isn't an agent, but Tony is. Sure, she could get hurt, or she could get killed, but so could you. I have faith in that DiNozzo kid. He'd keep her safe."

"And what if he didn't? He's a good agent, but if something happened to her because of his mistake. He couldn't live with himself if that happened."

"Sound like you're talkin' about yourself now, son. You couldn't live with yourself if something happened to Abby. I know that, hell, I'm sure she knows that. I'm sure she feels the same way."

"The same way?"

"Leroy, we both know that if you had figured out who it was before anyone else, you wouldn't have let the law handle it, you would've done it yourself. Abby was trying to protect you. And, you know, she isn't as fragile as you seem to think."

"Don't you realize that she was with him, that night of the bonfire? He could've done something to her..."

"If Ed is really behind this, he's been planning for awhile… there was no way you could've known."

"I know that," Gibbs spat. "But Abby…"

"Abby is fine. You need to quit thinking of all the 'what if's' or else you'll miss out on everything you could have. You keep pushing her away like you just did and you'll wake up to find that she isn't there to be pushed away anymore."

Gibbs nodded but said nothing. He was glad when Jack didn't try to stop him as he walked out of the shop. They were right, he he wasn't officially on the case, he had no business in the arrest, but he needed to clear his mind. He headed to a familiar spot.

Gibbs wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting on the bench at the old train station. He could feel Shannon's presence but it wasn't quite right, she was angry with him too. He sat, taking the silent abuse as though she was standing right there, yelling at him for being such an ass towards the one person who understood him best. It was as if he could see her, pacing in front of him, telling him that she'd worked too hard to find someone for him, for him to just push her away like the rest of the people in his life.

Gibbs looked up when he heard someone clear their throat and was surprised to see Tony standing in front of him.

"He confessed before Ziva got the chance to take him down. She almost did anyways, but didn't have the chance. Once he was finished explaining how he got a hold of Nasser Sharif's identity… he's dead, by the way, has been for a few years… and then paid that guy that ran into you guys… anyway, he had a heart attack. He's being airlifted to a bigger hospital in Philadelphia. Waste of resources if you ask me. Can I sit?" Tony motioned towards the spot beside his boss.

Gibbs nodded.

"S'all over now, boss. He can't hurt either of you, ever again."

Again, Gibbs nodded.

"You know, I'm sorry. I know I should've called, but you know how Abby is… she would've snuck off and done it all herself, and I didn't want to see her end up in trouble."

"You did good, DiNozzo, but if you ever do something like that again… you'll be out of a job."

"Understood, but in my defense, you know how convincing Abby can-"

Gibbs was quick with the head-slap.

"Thanks boss, understood."

"The others?"

"McGee flew with Ed, someone will meet him at the hospital and take over guard duty. Ziva is waiting for me. I guess we'll drive back down and give the director the good news."

"Wait. We'll all go back. I'd like to let Hollis know that she is no longer needed."

"Abby?"

"She back at the store yet?"

"Nope. You don't know where she is?"

"I have an idea of where she might be."

"Alright, I'll see you back at the store. And boss?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm… I'm glad this is over, and you two are safe."

"Thanks Tony. For everything."

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TBC…