"How bad?" Gibbs swung his legs around to touch the floor and habitually rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, even if he knew full well he hadn't slept a minute all night. He expected Abby to show up at his door after getting the news so decided to rest his eyes while he waited. What he wasn't expecting was this phone call. "On my way."

When he arrived at Tony's apartment, he wasn't entirely sure what he would be walking into. But he was a marine, he was trained for anything….almost anything.

Abby had curled herself up on the couch and hugged her knees in tight. Her mascara was a lost cause and the sight of Gibbs didn't seem to calm her.

And Gibbs always calmed her.

"Don't even try and make me feel better right now Gibbs….why did you call him Tony?! I specifically asked you not to call him…why doesn't anybody listen to me?!...Sure, I'm a little eccentric and maybe I cry a lot but I should be crying…Ziva's gone….gone…maybe never coming back and I just, I'm just tired of everybody leaving all the time…it's like my heart is a constant revolving door…And I used to love revolving doors when I was a kid…." She took in a breath. "Hi, I'm Abby, I love you…oh wait…you're going to die on a roof top with a bullet to the head… or hey Ziva, welcome to the team…feel free to leave whenever your little heart desires…"

Gibbs had been with her after Kate. All it had taken then was him holding her.

"Just being Gibbs isn't enough this time…why do you think I came here? I needed a new coping strategy."

Tony shrugged. "I'm flattered….I think."

Gibbs only looked on.

"Your silence won't work. Your hugs won't work…not that I don't love your hugs, I do…just not this time. This time something has got to give…" she wiped at her tears. "Cuz one day you're gonna leave me too."

"I'm here now."

It never ceased to amaze Tony how a man of such few words always managed to say the right ones.

Abby loosened her grip on her knees and stood up. "I don't want you here now…I want her."

"I can't make that happen."

"Yes you can…you're Gibbs…you're magic…you can leap tall buildings in a single bound. You have to call her, go find her…convince her to come back…I know you can…please Gibbs? For me?"

"Not my choice. It was hers."

Abby crossed her arms and her anger turned to hurt. "She made a mistake right? She'll come back."

"I don't know." Gibbs was honest and by this time had made his way closer to her.

"We have to let her go…" she started to convince herself. "She needs us to let her go….I just...I just don't want to."

Gibbs didn't respond and only held her…

"Any chance for a group hug?" Tony picked up on Gibbs glare and relented. "Just a thought."

Abby eased away and offered her own hug to Tony. "Thanks for letting me come over… I know you probably just wanted to be alone."

"Trust me Abs, that's the last thing I want to be right now."

"We could watch some old movies and cry together?" She offered, looking over at Gibbs who at this point had moved closer to the door.

"Sounds like a good coping strategy to me." He agreed and watched as she started to glance over the movie collection.

Gibbs waved him over. "You take care of her…"

"Yes boss."

"And one last thing…"

"Yes boss."

"You sleep on the couch."