"Abby?"
"Hm?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, McGee."
"Would you marry me?"
She blinks, "I am going to go back to sleep now."
"Would you? If I asked would you?"
"I... I am going to pretend that I didn't hear that."
"Why?"
"Now is not the time."
"When is the right time?"
"Probably never."
"Because you never want to get married?"
"Because... you don't understand."
"There are a lot of things about you that I don't understand."
"Now is not the time to ask. My world entire world just underwent a paradigm shift, today. I woke up this morning, and I felt like crap. I found out why, confirming my suspicions. I didn't think that my day could get any worse. Then it did. You were in an accident. I was afraid that you wouldn't be ok. I was afraid that I would lose you. Then I found out that the director was dead. You are responsible for his death. You are in the hospital. Everything changed, in the blink of an eye."
"You aren't happy?"
"What?"
"You aren't happy, about having this baby?"
"I am not ready for this baby. I was blindsided."
"Do you want this baby?"
She furrows her brow, "How could you even ask me that?""I think that it is a valid question."
"I do. I just... I need time. I am going to need time to get used to the idea. Ok?"
"So why don't you want me to ask you to marry me?"
"I don't want you to ask a question like that, on a day like this. I don't want you to ask, out of obligation."
"You think that I am asking out of obligation? I'm not."
"How do I know that?"
"I love you."
"You aren't asking, because I am pregnant, with your baby, and you think that it is the right thing to do?"
"No."
"Then why are you asking?"
"I told you. I love you."
"If you love me you won't ask."
"I don't want to lose you. I don't want someone else to snake their way in, and take you away from me. There is a real possibility that I could be going to prison. You might wait a while for me. Once the baby comes, things will be different. You will want someone who can be there for you. You'll need someone who can be there, for our child. If I can't, someone else will try to fill my shoes."
"No one is going to take your place."
"If you are so certain of that, then marry me."
"No. I am not going to marry you."
"You don't love me?"
"I don't want to marry you. I don't want to get married, ever, to anyone."
"You don't want to be a family?"
"I don't need to be married to have that."
"You..."
"I am never going to want to get married. I am willing to spend the rest of my life with you. I am willing to be a family, with you, and our child."
"Why won't you commit?"
"I am. I don't need a piece of paper to prove that I am committed."
He stares at the tumblers of bourbon. He smiles. He looks at the man standing next to him.
"What's that about?" he questions.
"I'm happy," Gibbs admits.
"Happy? On a day like this?"
"Yes."
"Leon Vance is in a drawer, in my morgue. One of our own put him there. It's a sad day."
"Duck, sometimes it takes tragedy, to make people realize what they mean to each other."
"Yes, I suppose."
"The rules... sometimes they build walls between people."
"What are you saying?"
"I think that it's time to take down some of the walls."
"I am sure that walls are being taken down, as we speak."
"You think?"
"Oh, I am sure of it. Abby is with McGee."
"Yes."
"She's never going to let him go anywhere."
"No," Jethro agrees.
"And Ziva, and Tony... they will figure it out, eventually."
"If they haven't already."
"They remind me of another couple, I once knew. I just hope, for their sakes, that they don't make the same mistakes."
"They're different. They're more patient."
"But they are very similar."
"He came too close to losing her, to ever let her go."
"Sometimes the people we love slip through our fingers, when we try holding on too tightly."
"And sometimes when you let go, they come back."
"No one can wait forever."
"I missed my chance."
"She came back. For you. You let her go."
"What was I supposed to do?"
"Tell her the truth."
"I couldn't."
"Now it's too late."
"I know. She's gone, and it's my fault."
"It's not your fault."
"How do you figure? If I had told her, she never would have gone out there, and tried to be a cowboy."
"She would still be gone."
"Maybe, but I needed more time."
"Let's toast," Ducky suggests.
"To what?"
"To the lessons we learned the hard way."
"I'll drink to that," Jethro raises his glass.