Sorry about the delay… damn RL. I need a job more conducive to my story writing. *nods*

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Gibbs walked quietly by the crowd that had gathered outside Ed's office. They mayor was trying to calm everyone, explaining that he wasn't exactly sure what Ed had done, but that he was certain that law enforcement would get to the bottom of it. He saw Dorothy in the crowd and she was busy talking to everyone around her. This is what she lived for, he thought. She looked thrilled to have such gossip to talk about during Wednesday knitting.

He rounded the corner and headed down the street until the shops and houses were fewer and farther apart until he came to a familiar path, slightly overgrown with weeds.

He followed it for about ten minutes before he saw Abby crouched down, her fingers dipping into the cool stream that ran through the clearing.

"Abbs." He called out her name softly so that she wouldn't startle.

Abby didn't look back, she kept her head bent down watching as the water swirled around her fingers. "Hey."

Gibbs made his way up beside her and crouched down, dipping his own fingers in the cool water. It reminded him, of when he was little. His mother would bring him here and he would splash around in the cold water while she read. Then they would head back to town in time for a late lunch in the shop with his father and LJ.

"Abby?" He reached out to touch her, but stopped when she tensed. He settled for touching her reflection in the water instead. "Abby, I'm sorry."

"And I'm mad!" Abby splashed water over her reflection and stood up, moving away from him. "I solve the damn case and all you do is barge in, yelling at Tony and I for doing something that you couldn't do…" The moment it came out Abby regretted her choice of words.

"Maybe you're right." He'd failed twice. He hadn't been able to keep her safe – it was because of him that she'd been injured in the crash. Nor had he been able to solve the case. What would happen if he failed a third time?

"No, Gibbs, I didn't mean it, not like that. I'm sorry." She knew he still had issues with feeling like he'd been unable to protect Shannon and Kelly, and that that was the basis for much of his fear pertaining to her. "It's just, I had a lead and I went with it. I brought Tony along. If you had figured it out, you wouldn't have told anyone. You would've just handled it."

"Why didn't you tell me? I would've listened."

"Because! I know you, and you wouldn't have let the law handle it, you would've killed him with your bare hands. I'm not going to lose you because of some stupid rash decision. This time I was keeping you safe."

She was right, he was ready to kill Ed with a simple snap of the neck. "But what about you? What if Ed knew, what if he'd gotten a hold of you because you hadn't thought things through when you went for evidence. What then?"

"I'm not as fragile as you think, Gibbs! I'm not made of glass; I don't need to be put up on some top shelf and kept away from the world. That won't keep me safe."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just… I can't help it."

Abby sighed. She knew he could help it. "I know." She hadn't noticed that Gibbs had slowly edged closer, but suddenly she felt his arms wrap around her as she was drawn back against his chest.

"I just want things to be normal again, Gibbs. I want to have fun like we used to."

Gibbs buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply. Visions of how things used to be danced in front of his eyes; he saw her, straddling his hips, as they made love.

He thought of the sting he felt the next morning as the water washed over where her nails had raked along his skin the night before.

Their lazy evenings on the couch.

Bowling with the nuns.

Dinner at the diner, more often than not, a welcome interruption from Shirley.

All the stuff they usually enjoyed – they hadn't done in weeks.

"We'll get back to normal, I promise. But Abby?"

"Yeah?" Her fingers traveled along his arms until she reached his elbows and then pulled his arms tighter around her.

"You never asked if they got him."

Abby turned in the tight circle of his arms and rolled her eyes. "Give me a little credit, would you? I could tell by how calm you were. You would've been a little more frantic to find me if he was on the loose. Did he say anything or is he staying quiet?"

"He confessed. Then, his grand finale was a heart attack."

"He dead?"

"Don't know. If he does live, he'll wish he hadn't."

"But you'll let the law handle it, right?"

"Unless they let him go. He won't hurt you – us – again."

Deciding that it was a conversation that didn't need to happen, Abby was content to relax into his hug, until, a different thought came to mind. "Can Hollis leave now?"

Gibbs pulled back to look at her and chuckled. There was a gleam in her eye that he only ever saw when she was plotting something. Or if Tony was around. "She'll be back in Hawaii this time next week if I have anything to say about it." He couldn't deny that she had worked hard, though once he knew her motives - he was a little less than impressed. "So everything… we're okay Abbs?"

"Shush." Abby silenced him, but pulled him along by the hand. "I'm thinking of everything I need to say when we get back to NCIS and I tell Hollis she's no longer needed."

Gibbs stopped and yanked on her hand, pulling her back towards him. "You're a brat, you know that?"

"And that's," Abby tapped her finger lightly on his nose. "Why you love me."

Abby was about to move away, but Gibbs caught her and pulled her in for a kiss. "One of the many, many reasons, Abby."

"Come on, bossman. Let's go home."

Gibbs couldn't agree more.

"Oh, and Gibbs?"

"Mmm?"

"You owe me."

"I know."

On their walk back, Gibbs explained what he knew of Ed's confession, arrest and subsequent heart attack.

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TBC….

Could be a slight delay of the next chapter. It isn't flowing properly, and dealing with Hollis needs proper attention.