I do not own NCIS…

Chapter 10

Later that evening after Tony had gone home, Gibbs was in the basement, sanding the boat and anxiously waiting to see if Abby would show. He pushed away the bottle of bourbon, wiped his hands, and went upstairs for a beer instead. As he opened the fridge he heard the front door open, and Abby's familiar footsteps. He smiled and grabbed two beers. He put them on the table as she came into the kitchen.

"Hey, Gibbs," she said warily as she entered.

Gibbs looked at her for a moment before whispering, "Hey, Abbs." He held out his arms and she did not hesitate to run into them.

"Gibbs…"

"Abby. My Abbs…" Gibbs said as he buried his face in her neck and breathed a sigh of relief. "Abby… I'm so sorry, baby…"

"Gibbs! You know it scares me when you break your own rules…"

Before she could continue scolding him, he pulled away enough to place a finger on her lips. "Abbs… You deserve an apology. I was being a bastard…"

He removed his finger from her lips and cupped her face in his hands. "I was scared, Abby. Scared of losing you. But the thought of not having you scares me even more. You're the best person I know, and I sure as hell don't deserve you… But can you forgive me? I love you so much. I'll take you any way I can get you."

"Oh, Gibbs… Of course I forgive you. I love you. I know these last few weeks have been hard, and there's probably hard days ahead… but we'll get through them, together."

He pulled her into a hug again and whispered, "Thank you, love."

She hugged him tightly, then finally kissed him deeply before she pulled away, put her hands on his shoulders, and inspected his black eye and swollen jaw. "Gosh, McGee wasn't kidding when he said he taught you a lesson, huh?"

Gibbs smirked, "Nope. Kid's got a hell of a left hook."

"I'm sorry, Gibbs, that was my fault…"

"No. Don't you dare apologize. That was my fault for acting like an ass. None of this is your fault. OK?"

"OK," she finally relented. "Did you eat dinner yet?"

"No. Been in the basement all day."

She smiled, "Good. I got us Chinese food. It's in the living room. Come on."

After they ate, they snuggled on the couch and watched a movie. By the time the movie ended she was asleep with her head resting on his shoulder. He pulled away from her gently, without waking her, and gathered the sheets, pillows and blankets that he had stacked next to the couch. He took them upstairs, going past the guest room and into the master bedroom; the room he'd only shared with one other person: Shannon. Not even his ex wives had slept in this room.

He set everything down, sighed deeply then closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw Shannon sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You're finally ready to start using this room again, huh Gibbs?" She asked with a smile.

"Was thinking about it," he replied softly.

"You know that it's OK, right? I don't mind. I love Abby. And I love you. I want you to be happy. You deserve it."

"I'm glad you love Abby. I love her, too."

"I know you do. That's why this is OK. Can I tell you a little secret, Gibbs?"

"Sure," he replied sitting next to her.

"Just because you lost one soulmate doesn't mean that you don't have another one that's out there. I was your soulmate once. When God called Kelly and I home, he told us to always look after you, and at the same time, he linked Abby's heart and soul to yours. How do you think you've cheated death all these years at that dangerous job? Because you've got me and Kelly watching over you. And do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because God has a plan for you… And for Abby. You hold on to her, Gibbs. Don't ever let her go. Good things are coming. You just have to have faith."

"I do have faith… and I won't let her go. Thank you, Shannon. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Now go get her. I'll be watching over you both." She kissed his cheek then shimmered away, leaving him by himself in the bedroom.

Gibbs wiped away a single tear that had slipped through, then made the bed with the clean sheets and blankets. Then he went back downstairs and gently kissed Abby awake.

"Come on, Abbs. Let's go to bed."

"We're not sharing the couch?" She asked sleepily.

"No. I've got the bed made upstairs." He took her by the hand and led her up to the bedroom.

Her eyes widened when she realized they'd gone past the guest room and into the master bedroom. "Gibbs, are you sure you want to sleep in here? I know this is…"

"It's OK," he interrupted. "Shannon loves you. And so do I."

She smiled at him sweetly as he handed her a pair of sweatpants and an old NIS T-shirt. To his shock and delight, she didn't take the clothes into the bathroom to change as he expected. He watched as she slipped off her skirt then took off her blouse and bra before pulling the T-shirt over her head. Gibbs could not stop himself from staring as she briefly stood before him wearing nothing but a pair of lace panties.

"Like what you see?" Abby asked with a smile.

"Oh yeah," he replied without hesitation.

"Well, I figure you're going to see it all anyway, eventually."

"Eventually," Gibbs agreed. He knew she was tired.

She didn't bother with the sweatpants. Tossing them aside, she climbed into bed and waited as undressed to only his boxers. He climbed into bed next to her and wrapped both arms around her as she snuggled against him, resting her head on his shoulder. He slept better that night than he had in years.

In the morning, he woke up to Abby gently stroking his face. "Hmmm. Good morning, beautiful," Gibbs said as he opened his eyes.

"Good morning, Gibbs," she answered before leaning into kiss him.

Their kiss lingered for a moment before he pulled away to look her in the eyes, "I love you, Abby. I'm so sorry for hurting you."

This time she put her finger on his lips, "You already apologized. It's OK."

Gibbs offered a smile and kissed her again, this time not stopping. Before long his hands were lifting her shirt and running over every bit of bare skin he could find. He pulled off her shirt and underwear, kicked off his boxers and rolled on top of her. He explored every inch of her with his mouth and hands until she was trembling, begging him for more. He finally pushed inside of her slowly, making her cry out and lighting a flame inside him. They made love for hours, and when they were finally finished they clung to each other, breathing heavily, sharing kisses and whispered words of love. And for the first time in a long time, Gibbs felt complete.

TBC…