*****

"Freeze! Move one step and I swear to God, I'll kill you, too." There was a note of hysteria in Linda's voice, one that led Abby to follow the command without hesitation. "Turn around. Slowly. Put your hands in the air."

She did as she was told and though she knew who she'd be facing, it still came as a shock. "I'm unarmed," she said, fighting to contain the tremble in her voice. "Just stay calm and we can talk about this."

"Talk about it?" Linda snorted indelicately, waving the gun in her hand. "Do you know how long I've been planning this? Do you know how much work it took setting this up? Now I'm going to have to start again, create a whole new identity... Do you know how much money I'll have lost by the time I'm ready to start again? Don't tell me to calm down, Mrs. Gibbs! You have no idea how much you've cost me."

"I know it won't be anywhere near as much as what you've cost the families of the couples you've killed." Abby lowered her arms slowly, her body aching with the effort of staying still despite the adrenaline racing through it. "How many times have you set up operations like this? How many lives have you ruined?"

Linda shrugged, entirely unapologetic. "That is none of your concern." Lifting the gun, she took aim at Abby, her eyes cold and calculating. "It didn't have to be this way, Mrs. Gibbs. You didn't have to die."

"I'd rather die that be a slave to whoever pays you the most." Abby clenched her jaw and fought the urge to wrap her arms around her stomach defensively. It wouldn't do any good; nothing would stop the bullet waiting to be fired in her direction.

"I'm glad you see it that way," Linda muttered. Her finger moved and Abby's eyes slid shut.

A shot rang out and the birds in the trees above screeched in protest as their evening was disturbed once again.

A dull thud signalled a body falling to the floor.

*****

His heart pounded as he lowered his gun, automatically moving forward towards her. Abby's eyes opened and locked with his and Gibbs quickened his pace, opening his arms as she moved forward, her body hitting his with enough force to knock the breath out of his lungs but he couldn't bring himself to mind.

"It's okay, Abs. I've got you." He cradled her close, felt her body shiver against his. Felt the hot warmth of her tears against his neck and tightened his hold. He trusted his agents to take care of the body, to do their jobs and process the scene. His only concern was the woman trembling in his arms.

His wife.

"Monica's dead," Abby mumbled, her voice muffled against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him just as tightly. "She was shot when we were running. I tried to save her, Gibbs. I tried..."

"Shh, Abs." His lips brushed against the top of her head. "We found her. She'll be taken care of now. It's over. It's all over."

*****

It was with more than a small degree of sadness that Abby stood in the living room of the house she'd made into a home, preparing to say goodbye to it. She'd packed all of the items she and Gibbs and bought together, telling herself she'd find a home for them in her apartment or that she'd sneak them into Gibbs' place when he wasn't looking.

She let a hand on rest on her hip, tilting her head to one side as she surveyed the room, wondering how it could go from feeling like a home to an empty house in such a short space of time.

As much as she was looking forward to getting back to her real life, to her lab and her babies and Bert the hippo, she was going to miss the lives they'd created for themselves, too.

Her gaze dropped to the small coffee table in front of her, fell on the sheets of paper that had been delivered by courier that morning and couldn't quite stifle the sigh that escaped her.

"Hey." Gibbs wrapped his arms around her, drawing her back against his chest as he let his chin rest on her shoulder. "You about ready to go?"

"As ready as I'm going to be." She tried to fix a smile on her face and turned around in his arms. "Did you take care of everything you needed to?"

"Yep." He leaned in and kissed her softly. "Johansson's admitted his role in Corporal Foster's dismissal. There'll be an investigation but it looks like he'll be reinstated."

"You're a good man, Leroy Jethro Gibbs." She smiled at him fondly, winding her arms around his neck. "Do you know if they've contacted Ken's wife?"

Gibbs nodded slowly, his expression sympathetic. "Major Lewis has chosen to stay where she is but she's started divorce proceedings. She wants nothing more to do with him and I can't blame her for it."

"Neither can I." She bit her lip and broke away from him, leaning down to scoop up the papers on the table. "These were delivered after you left. Director Vance had them sent over."

He took them from her and scanned the documents quickly. Abby wrapped her arms around herself, feeling cold without his arms around her. "Annulment papers?"

"No one knows we consummated our vows, Gibbs." She shrugged one shoulder, unable to look him in the eyes. "If you wanted, we could get an annulment. It'd be less messy than getting a divorce."

"Is that what you want?" Gibbs kept his voice even, his expression emotionless when she looked up at him. "If it is, I'll sign it now."

Abby bit down on her bottom lip again, her hands gripping her arms almost painfully. "And if it isn't? If I want to stay married to you? Even if no one but us knows it?"

Without a word, he took the papers in his hands and waited until she looked at him again. Gripping both sides firmly, he held her gaze as he tore the sheets of paper in half. Screwing the two halves up into balls, he threw them into the wastepaper bin next to the fireplace and reached out to take her hand when the deed was done.

"Let's go home," he murmured, picking up the box on the sofa with the hand that wasn't wrapped around hers.

Realising in that moment that her home would be wherever he was, Abby gave him one of her brightest smiles and let him lead her out of the house, back to the rest of their lives.

*****

End.

There will be a short fluff/smut-filled sequel of sorts. Soon. Ish.