KATE

"I still can't..." Abby reached out to touch Kate's face, and shook her head. "I know you're real, you're there, but it's so weird and good and-" she smiled slightly "-I suppose I'm scared I'm going to wake up and find out this is a dream or something."

Kate laughed. "To be honest, part of me feels like that too. I had kind of- resigned myself, I guess, to Serbia being my home forever. By the time I was in a position to try and get out..." It was hard to explain, and she felt like she was making excuses, but Abby shushed her.

"It's okay, Kate. I underst-" Abby stopped herself mid word and shrugged. "Okay, so I don't really understand, but I'm trying, and the most important thing is that you're back. I can't even-" She shook her head again. "I feel like there's so much to say, so much to catch up on. I don't even know where to start."

"Abby Sciuto, lost for words. I didn't even know that was possible."

"I know, right? Like, so totally and completely ridiculous." She hugged Kate again, fiercely. Kate bit back an exclamation as the breath was squished out of her, and then Abby was grabbing her hand and leading her into the back office, where there were a couple of chairs.

Abby sat her down then perched on the desk next to her, her hands clasped around her knees, a large grey hippo stuffed toy on her lap, looking for all the world like an excited little girl. Kate couldn't help grinning. It was so Abby, and it took her back to girl talk here, or in one of their apartments, as if that had been yesterday, not seven years ago.

"So... wow." Abby leaned over again to poke Kate in the arm. "I- you know, when you first disappeared and we thought you were dead, I used to see you and have conversations with you. So I just have to keep reassuring myself that it isn't happening again, okay?"

"Okay." Kate felt another stab of guilt. "Abby, I'm so sorry-"

Abby shook her head firmly. "Ari's fault, not yours."

Kate shuddered at the name. It wasn't lost on her that this was the building where she'd encountered Ari Haswari for the first time. One thing she could never have predicted was how returning to NCIS would churn up all the memories she'd thought were carefully buried. Being back in DC was stressful in ways she had not expected, and things kept ambushing her. She shut her eyes and shook her head. She'd expected returning here to feel like coming home, and the fact that it felt anything but was horrible.

"Hug Bert."

Kate looked up, confused. Abby was holding out the stuffed hippo to her. Kate took it uncertainly. "Abby, why-?"

"Just trust me and hug him. I can tell you're freaking out, Kate. Bert'll help you feel better. He's good at that."

Kate shrugged and took the animal, inspected him, then gave him an experimental hug.

She was not prepared for the ripe farting noise, and burst out in surprised laughter.

Abby looked triumphant. "See?"

Kate squeezed again, and rolled her eyes. "Only you, Abs." She stroked the hippo on his head. He was large and soft and snuggly and though the sensible, adult, Special Agent part of her wanted to dismiss it as silly, he was nice to hug.

Abby reached over to clasp her hand. "I know it's gonna sound silly. But when you were first- you know, gone - Bert... helped. He made me laugh." Her mouth wobbled, and Kate wondered if she was about to cry. She suddenly felt a bit teary eyed herself and squeezed Abby's hand. "God, Kate. It's really good to have you back and everything, but it's gonna take a while to get used to it."

"You and me both." Kate got up from the chair and instead hoisted herself up on the desk beside Abby. They sat with their arms round each other's shoulders, heads tilted together, and Bert across their laps. Eventually Abby took a deliberate if slightly shaky breath, and started to talk about what it was like to help train a service dog, her latest bowling exploits, the new equipment she'd gotten for the lab in the last few years. The sea of small talk, of normalcy, of chatter that required no response, was exactly what Kate needed, and she found herself relaxing again as she listened to the monologue.

She really had no idea how long they'd been sitting there when there was a tap at the half open door. She turned to find Gibbs looking at them as he leaned on the doorframe, the puppy Abby had been telling her about trying to squeeze past his ankles.

"Hey." His voice was uncharacteristically soft, and then he cleared his throat and sounded much more normal when he started again. "Kate, the director wants to see you. Abs, they need you in the evidence garage." It was a strange word to apply to Gibbs, but Kate almost thought he sounded apologetic.

They reluctantly got up and Abby gave Kate one last rib crunching hug before high tailing it out of the lab with her head lowered. Kate watched her go then turned to Gibbs. "It's gonna be like this for a while, isn't it?"

"'Fraid so," he agreed, holding the door open for her then following her out through the lab. He stopped to settle Ernie into the puppy crate in the corner of the room and then silently guided her out and into the elevator.

"Director wants to schedule your psych eval." He chuckled when Kate pulled a face.

"You had to tell me that after the door closed?"

Gibbs laughed again. "You'll be fine."

The elevator sped up to the third floor and she gave herself a mental pep talk. There were going to be way too many meetings and reunions and probably other things she hadn't even thought of over the next few days, and she didn't feel ready for any of them.

They were nearly there when Gibbs reached out and flipped the emergency stop. Should've expected that, she thought to herself as she turned to face him.

His expression as he looked down at her was sympathetic. "Kate?"

"Yes?"

"Not every day someone comes back from the dead." He shrugged a shoulder and smiled a little. "Give us time. We'll get used to it."

She pursed her lips. Easy for him to say. "Promise?"

His eyes crinkled and he nodded. "Promise." He held her gaze till she nodded back, and then flicked the switch. Moments later they reemerged into the bullpen, mercifully quiet this time of day, and she took a deep breath.

Gibbs gave her a friendly nudge. "Go get 'em, Katie."

She gave him a halfhearted glare for the nickname, then straightened her back and headed resolutely for the stairs, walking swiftly to hide her nerves. When she reached the gallery she stopped and looked back down. "Gibbs?"

He was by his desk with a folder in his hands, and glanced up at her enquiringly.

"Thanks."

The grin he gave her was the one she associated with the very occasional times he had told her she'd done a good job, and with an extra bounce in her step, she turned back and marched towards the director's office.