Sorry this is taking so long in between chapters... I've been really distracted lately, and I've recently starting training for a Half Marathon to support the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America as I was diagnosed 11 years ago. What's that? You want to donate? Email me for the link since it apparently won't post here. Thanks!

Vance was true to his word and was able to get them a military flight home, so that they were each strapped in on either side of the cargo bay. It brought memories flooding back to Tony of the time Kate had needed to use the bathroom, but he suppressed them, knowing how exhausted Gibbs already was. There hadn't been much time to get Gibbs checked out or cleaned up, in case others had found where they were staying, so Abby had brought along a first aid kit she'd packed, in addition to several wash cloths she'd soaked in water just before boarding the plane.

Abby sat next to Gibbs on the plane, insisting that he let her clean and bandage him up. She got only as far as a cut on his forehead before he gently took the wash cloth from her and rested his eyes, signaling that he would wait until they got back to the states.

The group sat silently through the entire flight, sharing looks of worry as they glanced at Gibbs, who Tony was sure was asleep, just as he had been on that first trip. McGee watched Abby who was fidgeting in her seat, glancing at Gibbs more often than the rest of them. He'd noticed her concern for Gibbs seemed laced with something else, though he couldn't put his finger on what. McGee had always suspected that Abby liked Gibbs, but given her flirty and kind nature, was never entirely sure if he was imagining it or not.

Abby tapped her feet on the floor of the plane, fiddling with the edge of her black dress, which she had gratefully changed into before boarding the plane. Gibbs was sleeping, though how with the rough flight, she wasn't sure. Though at this point, nothing should surprise her with that man. Ever since finding Gibbs, her brain had been flying a trillion miles a minute. She hadn't yet wrapped her mind around shooting the two guards and was trying to push such realizations away until she was in private. Instead she was contemplating what had happened to Gibbs, and whether it would change what had taken place between them before he'd left. Maybe he would think she wouldn't be able to handle his job, or maybe he would see her differently having seen her shoot those men. Her eyes flicked over to his sleeping form once more as she sent up a silent prayer that he would still love her after everything that had happened. That he would still want her after everything he'd seen.

~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~

Gibbs insisted on being checked out by Ducky and no one else, just as his team had suspected. Ducky had bandaged him up, declaring nothing was broken, just heavily bruised. Abby had walked in while Gibbs was pulling his shirt back on and was taken aback at the bruising on his torso. She'd had to stifle a gasp to keep from showing just how alarmed she was. She knew he wouldn't want to be fussed over.

Vance had forced Gibbs to go home, and though he didn't let on, Gibbs was secretly glad. He was not only physically exhausted, but also mentally exhausted, and just wanted some time in his house. Even after Vance instructed Abby to take the rest of the day off to take Gibbs home and rest up as well, Gibbs was relieved. He knew Abby well enough to know that she hadn't told anyone else what had happened, and would need time to recover. Maybe he could entice her to stay and talk about it, finally relieve her of the stress he knew she was feeling.

Since returning, he could tell there was something off about her – and not just because he was clearly bruised and battered. Abby was quiet, as if she had withdrawn into herself to hold back what she was feeling. The idea that she was hiding in herself worried him. So often it was the opposite – that she couldn't hold her feelings back until she worked through them, typically by way of rambling them off in his direction. This time may present a challenge, though, and he hoped his own mental exhaustion wouldn't hinder his attempts to help her heal.

Gibbs stalked slowly in to his house, followed by a silent Abby. He'd insisted they stop off so he could buy her a Caf-Pow! on the way home, but thus far she had only taken one sip, and he was sure that was just to make him happy.

Abby placed the large cup on his coffee table and glanced over to Gibbs, "You should take a shower or a bath or something." She hesitated, "Do you need any help?"

Gibbs looked over at where Abby was nervously awaiting an answer. "No, I'm okay. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen."

Abby let out a chuckle at the thought before thinking about the situation. "Okay. Do you want anything?"

Gibbs started to shake his head no, and then reconsidered, wondering if she would eat if he didn't. "Sure. Chinese delivery menu is on the fridge if you can't find anything." He climbed the stairs slowly, feeling the ache from the bruises more intensely with each step. While Gibbs knew that the force of the shower was likely going to exasperate the pain, he'd much rather take a shower than a bath. He had never been one for lying in increasingly freezing water that eventually turned foggy from the layers of dirt that floated off the skin.

Shedding his now-ragged clothing, he threw them into the bathroom trash can and started the faucet, allowing the water to warm up for several minutes as he stood staring at the water. His life in the last week had become a montage of flashes – trying to rescue Abby, discovering her feelings matched his own, being taken captive and beaten, then rescued by Abby and the team. It was as if the world was finally standing still as steam began to rise from the flow of the faucet. The quiet of the windowless-basement had been an uneasy, chilling quiet, but the quiet of his home was different. It was warm, enveloping and inviting. And beneath the quiet, he knew Abby sat downstairs, pondering whether to order her usual or something new, as she always did before returning to her typical order.

Blinking out of his thoughts, Gibbs stepped into the shower, blanching at the pain while simultaneously sighing at the warmth.