"A Broken Man: Epilogue, Part One"
Chapter One (Surprise At LAX) ---
Abby walked through the LAX airport terminal dodging and pushing her way through the ever-twisting maze of people waiting to board planes, and those who were just getting off of planes. "Excuse me, pardon me. Sorry" Abby said, as she pushed passed a few more people.
Finally she reached a clearing towards the terminal's Entrance/Exit. She stood still, searching for the person she was supposed to be looking for.
"Abby!" came a familiar voice from not too far away. "Abby! Over here!"
Abby turned to her right to see Kate coming towards her from the waiting area where she had been sitting in wait for her dear(est) friend in the whole world.
"Kate!" Abby shrieked, as she threw her arms around her friend's neck once she got close enough. "Oh Kate, its so good to see you. Everyone back in Washington really misses you, especially me." Abby said, hugging her friend tight.
"I've missed you too Abby. I really have." Kate replied in agreement, returning Abby's warm hug.
It had been nearly five months since they'd last seen each other, and the two of them had been wanting to get together for some time--and now was that time at last. They had taken to writing each other letters and postcards as often as they could manage, but nothing compared to how they felt hugging each other in person right now.
"How've you been since I left?" Kate asked, even though from Abby's postcards there was not a whole lot that she did not know.
"Well since Gibbs returned to work, and resumed his old job things have been somewhat 'normal'." Abby replied, with a sigh.
"I do remember you saying something about that in one of your postcards that you sent me not too long ago." Kate said, with a grin.
"Oh, speaking of which, Kate, I hope you don't mind. I brought a friend with me." Abby said, wagging her finger around.
Kate gave a little chuckle and hugged Abby once more. "That's quite alright. I've got plenty of room at my place." Kate told her.
"Good." Abby replied.
"So where is your friend?" Kate asked, looking around but seeing no one anywhere nearby that looked as if they might have come with Abby. "Is he on another flight or something?" Kate said, with a chuckle.
Abby laughed at her friend with a smile. "No he's here--somewhere." Abby said. "He was getting our luggage."
"HE?" Kate said, a little shocked and a bit thrown off guard. "You never mentioned anything about a *boyfriend* in any of your letters." Kate pointed out, somewhat confused.
"Oh, he's not my boyfriend Kate. Just a friend who's been dying to visit sunny California." Abby said with a chuckle.
Kate laughed. "Well I'm sure he'll love it." Kate said with a smile.
"Alright, I've got our luggage Abs." came a familiar voice from behind them a few seconds later. "Did you find-" the voice started to say as he approached the two ladies.
When Kate turned around she could not believe her eyes when she saw who was standing there, leaning on a polished cherry cane, and doing his best to carry the three bags that he and Abby had brought with them. She swallowed hard as their eyes met and locked onto one anothers; and for a moment they stood silent.
"Hello Kate." Gibbs finally said, quietly.
Abby stood nearby looking from Gibbs to Kate, and then back again.
"Y-you can walk." Kate stammered, nervously at first.
"Yeah." Gibbs replied plainly as he stepped towards her slowly.
Tears burned her eyes as she looked him over up and down carefully and slowly. When he got close enough she reached out her hand towards him.
"Kate I-" Gibbs started to say. Kate's hand landed hard against the side of his face. "I guess I deserved that." he said calmly.
"How dare you." Kate spat at the silver-haired man standing before her.
"I've missed you Kate," Gibbs said softly.
Kate looked at Abby with a dirty look. "Why did you bring him here?" Kate asked, disgustedly.
"Katie I-" Gibbs tried to say, but Kate would not let him finish.
"You have no right to call me that!" she spat. True he had been the only she had ever let call her that, but that was then and this was now. Kate shook her head at the two of them, and looked up at Abby. "He can stay the night, but he's on the first flight out tomorrow." Kate told the both of them.
"Kate, I think you're being a little bit unreasonable." Abby said.
"No, she's not." Gibbs broke in quietly. "If she wants me gone--then I'll leave." But he really did not want to leave not without Kate, but he almost did not see any other way around the whole thing.
"But Gibbs!?" Abby protested. "You didn't fly all the way out here just to-"
"Shhh." Gibbs said softly, nodding at Abby. "It's okay Abs. We tried." he said.
Chapter Two (A Night At Kate's...'Kiss and Make-Up') ---
An hour later the three of them walked into Kate's apartment. Gibbs set the three bags that he'd been carrying down on the carpet next to the front door, and took a moment to survey his surroundings. "Nice place." He said plainly.
"Thanks." Kate replied. Kate pointed towards the small sofa that sat not too far away from where they currently stood. "You'll take the sofa, of course, and Abby will sleep in the guest room." Kate informed them. She gestured for Abby to follow her.
"Fair enough." Gibbs replied, picking up Abby's bag and handing it too her.
Abby, at the moment, felt like she was just right smack dab in the middle of a feud of sorts; and to her it was very nerve-racking. She accepted her bag from Gibbs, and followed Kate back towards the guest room.
In the guest room Abby set her bag down on the bed, and then plopped straight down beside it. "Why are you dong this to him Kate?" Abby asked, with a sigh.
"Why?" Kate asked, sitting down next to her friend with her arms folded across her chest. "Because he hurt me, and he does not deserve any sympathy--especially not mine."
"Kate he's been through just as much as you have." Abby pointed out, looking up at her friend. "And don't tell me you don't care about him." Abby added.
"I-I don't." Kate stammered defensively.
"Alright. Then how come, in just about every other letter that you wrote me, did you ask about Gibbs. Hmm?" Abby questioned. "You asked how he was doing. If he was seeing anyone." Abby pushed her friend.
"I-I was just curious is all." Kate said, defending her actions as best as she could.
"Admit it Kate," Abby demanded, narrowing her eyes at her best friend. "You're still very much in love with Gibbs."
Kate jumped to her feet shocked at the accusation that Abby was making. "Ugh!" she scoffed defensively. "Yo-you're wrong Abby. I don't give a damn about Gibbs!" Kate hissed, her voice growing louder by the second. "He can burn in hell for all I care!" Kate shouted angrily.
Little did either woman know Gibbs just happened to be standing not too far from the door to the guest room, and he had heard everything that was being said. A lone tear rolled down his cheek as he stood listening to Abby and Kate's conversation.
Later as three of them ate dinner sitting at Kate's small dinner table very few words were actually said between the three of them. Gibbs noticed that every now and then Kate would be staring at him from across the table, but as oon she noticed that he was looking she would turn away, issuing a muffled 'Hmph!' as she did so.
The last few hours had been sheer hell in Kate's apartment. Abby had had to endure most of the time spent putting up with Gibbs and Kate sniping at each other from afar since they'd originally met up at the airport eariler on, and so by now she was starting to get a massive headache.
Finally after the meal was about halfway over Gibbs spoke up.
"Alright." he said finally, giving a little sigh as he set his chinese take-out container down. "I'm obviously not wanted here. So I think that it would probably be best if I stayed the night at a hotel or motel somewhere, and then flew back to Washington first thing in the morning."
Kate nodded in agreement across the table. "I think you're right. That would be best."
At that moment Abby simply could not take it anymore. "Alright. That's it!" she said as she stood up from the table. "I can't take this anymore."
"Abby where are you going?" Kate asked, as she followed her friend to the front door of the apartment.
Abby grabbed up her coat and threw it over her shoulers as she undid the locks and bolts of the door. "Until you two can kiss and make up I don't wanna speak to or see either one of you. Understood!?" Abby demanded, angrily, as she yanked open the front door and stomped out letting the door slam in her friends' faces.
"Nice going." Gibbs said sarcastically as Kate re-entered the kitchen/dining area of the apartment. He had heard either word of that steaming hot conversation.
"Look who's talking." Kate replied, smartly. "This all YOU'RE fault, ya know." she spat angrily, as she folded her arms across her chest in front of Gibbs.
"My fault!?" gibbs said, quite amused at her accusation, as he stood up reaching for his cane. "If you had played nice to begin with none of this would have happened." he retorted.
There was more shouting as the hours passed them by, and Abby still did not return from wherever it was that she was going.
"Oh well maybe if you hadn't been such a selfish bastard none of us would be here right now. Ever think of that Mr. Hotshot!?" Kate shot back, angrily.
Gibbs moved towards Kate, leaning on his cane most of the way, attempting to stare her down like you used to do before she left washington to come here to L.A.
"Nice try Jethro," Kate sneered. "But I'm afraid the 'Stare' doesn't work on me anymore." she informed him defiantly as he approached her.
Gibbs brought himself right up in front of Kate close enough so that they could feel each other's breath. "You know why were here Kate." Gibbs finally said, rather quietly and calmly.
Kate looked away, biting down hard on her lip, as a small shiver ran up the length of her spine. "You hurt me Gibbs." she replied, her voice cracking a bit.
"I know." Gibbs said quietly, looking down at the beautiful brunette standing before him. "And you have every right to hate me." he added.
"Well look at you," Kate said, shrugging her shoulders at him. "You can walk, and apparently I was right--you didn't need me after all." she pointed out, emotion burning behind her eyes.
"You're wrong Kate." Gibbs said quietly, gently nudging her chin upwards with his free hand. "It was because of you that I learned to walk again, its because of you that I'm here now."
The two of them stood, in silence, staring into each other's eyes intensely. Finally Kate spoke up, swallowing hard a lump that had formed in her throat only minutes before.
"What is it that you want from me Jethro?" she asked quietly still looking into his eyes.
"A second chance." he said dryly, as he moved a stray strand of hair away from her face. "Come back with me Kate. Let's start over." he added, his eyes pleading desperately with hers.
"I-I want to, Gibbs, but how do we know we won't relapse--and end up right back where we are now?" she questioned, tears stinging her eyes.
Gibbs leaned in, at that moment, and stole a kiss from the beautiful brunette standing before him there in the living room area.
It all happened so quickly, and without warning that Kate barely had time to react. At first she wanted to protest and shove him off, but the taste was just too much for her to resist. Soon she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her inviting the fullness of his kiss to invade her mouth further.
"We don't." he whispered against her lips, finally.
Kate grinned sheepishly at Gibbs as she reached out both hands, from around his neck, and clapped audibly--twice. Every light in the apartment from the kitchen to the living room suddenly went dark.
"Nice." Gibbs whispered, with an amused grin at the beautiful brunette once again in his arms.
"Now. Where were we?" she whispered as she once again attacked his lips with her own.
Chapter Three (Resolution) ---
Showers of sparks and fireworks erupted all around the couple as Kate finally collapsed against Gibbs' chest. The two of them laid their together, on the sofa, breathing heavily as they waited for their vital signs to return to normal.
"Kate," he breathed in her ear. "That was-"
"Shhhhh," she whispered quietly, as she kissed him fully on the lips one more time before she fell into a deep, dreamless slumber against him.
It wasn't too much longer before Gibbs followed suit.
It was twenty minutes after the hour of two in the morning when Abby finally returned. She smiled delightedly when she saw Gibbs and Kate wrapped in each other's arms there on the living room (area) sofa.
"And all is right with the world." she whispered happily as she quietly pulled the throw blanket off of the back of the sofa, and drapped it over the slumbering lovers. After which she silently made her way back to the guest bedroom in the back of the apartment.
Finally everything was as it should be and her two best friends, probably in the whole world, were happy once again--well as far as she could tell anyway. And to that note, Abby had no problem once-so-ever sleeping that night/morning.
.........To Be Continued In "Epilogue, Part Two".........
Author's Chapter Notes:
Part one of the shocking conclusion of the "A Broken Man" series...Enjoy and God Bless!!!!