Fic: Time off.
Abby rubbed at her swollen stomach as she looked out the window to Gibbs’ backyard. Over the past year things had changed dramatically, and it was their monthly team gathering, this time a BBQ at Gibbs’ house - hosted by the boss-man himself. She watched as Gibbs sat close to Tony, his arm around the younger agent, a silly grin on his face as Tony and Ziva bickered back and forth over something ridiculous. Ever since they had come out, things had been going great for the team and Tony had relaxed considerably.
“You okay in here? Still having issues with heartburn?” McGee stepped up beside her and smoothed his hand across her belly.
“I’m fine.”
“It won’t be too much longer until little he or she makes her entrance to the world. I can’t wait.”
“Me either,” Abby smiled softly at him. “You think we’ll be good parents?”
“I’m pretty sure you’ll be the best mother ever. I’m… I’m a little nervous about being a dad, but I had a great example, so I think we’ll be okay.”
Abby looked out the window at Gibbs, the smile on her face not quite reaching her eyes. Gibbs had been a good father, of that she was certain. She loved Tony, always had, but she was in love with Gibbs. So to see them together hurt - even if she would never admit it. Looking back at McGee, she smiled again. “Let’s head back out, okay?” She hated that she was having these feelings… she loved McGee, she wouldn’t have married him otherwise, but there was still… there was something inside that still compared him to Gibbs.
“There you are!” Tony jumped up when Abby pushed open the back door. “We’ve got an announcement!”
“C’mon Tony, you know I’ve got to pee every 13 minutes, I wasn’t gone that long.” She eyed him curiously.
“Well… I wanted to share that we, Gibbs and I… we’ve decided to make it official,” Tony reached for Gibbs’ hand. “We’re going to get married, flashy rings and all. We want you guys to be there…”
Ziva was the first to speak, her hand coming up to her mouth as she tried not to cry at the news. “I’m so… so very… happy for… for you.”
McGee and Ducky both gave the two men hugs and then everyone turned to Abby for her response.
“NO…!”
Abby sat up in bed, her hand flying to her stomach. She let out a sigh of relief to find her stomach flat. “You’ve got to get away, you can’t keep doing this to yourself,” Abby sighed as she fell back against her pillow, glancing at the glowing alarm clock on the night stand - 03:27.
She tried snuggling back under the covers, but by 4am, when she still hadn’t fallen back asleep, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and headed for the bathroom. She took a quick shower, dressed and decided that she could get an early start at work in hopes of getting completely caught up on the DNA tests she had piling up for various cases being handled by NCIS.
The Navy Yard was quiet when she parked just before 5, but security wasn’t surprised to see her. “Another early start, Ms. Sciuto?”
“A scientists work is never-ending,” Abby smiled as she passed through the metal detector and then grabbed her bag from the scanner. “Have a nice day.”
“Same to you.”
The squad room was quiet with the exception of the soft hum of a computer that had been left on overnight as Abby made her way to the back elevator. It would be at least two hours before Gibbs arrived, three before the rest of his team.
In her lab, Abby spent a few minutes with each of her babies - switching them on, wiping a dust rag over the top of them and wishing them a wonderful day with lots of quick results. This was how she liked to start her day - slow, taking the time to fully wake up and sort through what she needed to get done for the day. On the days when she was called in early or when they started the day with a new case, she always felt rushed and as though she was falling behind.
Abby sat at her computer to check her mail, both work and personal. Her work mail contained the usual. A few agents from other teams checking in on the status of the DNA she was running for them, a few agency-wide emails detailing upcoming events, seminars and training days. Her personal email was full of newsletters, and information from her favorite scientific journal. There was an email from her brother and an email from her friend Carol.
Abby,
I just bought a beach house in Ocean City!! I know it’s a little out of the blue, but it’s a good deal, and I’ve been looking for a little place to get away now and again, you know? It could really use some of your habitat building skills to fix it up a little (did I mention I got a good deal?) so any time you’d like to spend some time out there, let me know and I’ll drop off a key and the address!
Love You!
Carol.
Abby smiled. Carol was always making impulsive purchases, though a beach house was a bit extreme. Would be nice to get away though… Abby dropped her hand to her stomach. She’d been having the same nightmare, if she could call it that, for nearly a week. Gibbs and Tony were in love and Ziva was an over-emotional mess. And she wasn’t sure what was worse - that Gibbs didn’t love her, or that she was pregnant with McGee’s child. She loved McGee, in a very platonic we-tried-but-it-didn’t-work kind of way, but the dreams were so realistic that every morning she woke up covered in sweat, the fear of having to watch Gibbs in love with someone else (even if it was Tony, whom she also loved dearly, but more as a best friend) stabbing her in the heart.
She was halfway through a reply to Carol (yes, she’d love to stay at the beach house some time, and yes she would bring her tools along) when a bright red Caf-Pow! cup appeared beside her keyboard.
“Gibbs,” Abby startled. “What are you doing down here so early? You don’t usually bring one of these until… ten.”
“Security said you had another early morning. Thought you might be able to use one by now.” Gibbs smiled and nodded at the cup. “Why in so early?”
“Oh, I dunno,” Abby shrugged. “Sometimes it’s nice to have a slow start to the morning, get caught up on emails and stuff rather than just jump in.”
“Security said you were here around five, you need your sleep too, Abbs.” Gibbs moved behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to loosen a bit of the tension she always seemed to carry.
“I know, but I was awake and couldn’t fall back to sleep knowing my alarm would be going off in an hour or so. I’d rather have a leisurely morning here than toss and turn trying to catch an extra hour of sleep. An hour I won’t get.”
“What’s waking you up? Anything I need to be worried about?”
Abby laughed and shook her head. “Nah, I’m okay. Just some funky sleep patterns, that’s all.”
“No more autopsy dreams?”
“Nope, I’m good with autopsy. Had a cup of tea with Ducky in autopsy last night before heading home.” She hadn’t done that in awhile, but that’s because work had kept her so busy. She enjoyed a late afternoon cup of tea with Ducky before going home. He always had a story for her, and she was always willing to listen.
Gibbs eyed her curiously as stepped out from behind her. “Alright. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks Gibbs.”
He gave a little nod and turned on his heel.
Abby waited until she was sure Gibbs was gone before deleting her email to Carol and starting over.
Carol,
I could really use a few days away. Any chance I could get the keys for this upcoming weekend. I promise to leave it in better shape than I find it.
-A.
It was only 15 minutes before a reply beeped in her inbox.
Abby!
Of course! Can you swing by my place after work today or tomorrow?
Abby grinned to herself. She wasn’t sure it would help much, but a few days away from Gibbs and NCIS and anything else that could trigger her dream would be good for her.
Yes! Thank you. See you tonight.
Digging around in the bottom drawer of her desk, Abby pulled out a vacation request form. She’d never filled one out before, so she took the time to read it over. Today was Tuesday, but with the forensic back-ups that were always on hand, she was sure it wouldn’t be a problem to take a few days off. She penciled in for time off between Friday and Tuesday and signed in the appropriate places. There was nothing pressing in the lab so she took her paper up to the director’s office and knocked on the door.
When Vance’s secretary waved her in, she pushed the door open and walked in.
“Ms. Sciuto, what can I do for you?”
“I, uh, would like a few days off, if that’s, um, okay?”
Vance chuckled. “If I remember correctly, you’ve never taken time off. I’m sure you’re long over-due.”
Abby smiled. “My friend just bought a beach house. I thought it might be nice to get away for a few days and relax.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Vance reached for the paper. “What does Gibbs think about you leaving?”
“I…” Abby frowned. “I haven’t told him about it yet. Do I need him to sign first?”
“No, no you don’t need his permission. I just know how well he works with new people, so having a new scientist in the lab for three days is sure to be enjoyable for him.”
Abby tried not to smile too much at the sarcasm.
“Well,” Vance signed the bottom of the page and then crossed the room to make a copy, “enjoy your time off.”
“Thank you.”
------
Gibbs startled when a piece of paper slid across his desk. He had been so engrossed in the report Tony had handed him a few minutes earlier that he hadn’t heard Abby’s approach. He looked over the paper and frowned momentarily. “You never take vacation.”
“I know, but Carol has this new beach house that apparently needs some work. I think it’d be nice to spend a few days on the beach, relax…”
Gibbs gave a small nod. He understood the appeal of spending some time on the beach and the idea brought him back to his hiatus in Mexico. With Abby standing in front of him, it also brought back vague memories of saying goodbye to her with a gentle kiss on the cheek. She hadn’t fully trusted him for several weeks once he had returned. She said she did, but he could see it in her eyes. At least he knew she was coming back. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if she had dropped a bomb on him, telling him she was leaving for good. “Everything is okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Why?”
Gibbs shook his head. “Have fun then.”
Abby shrugged off his brisk comment and smiled at Tony, “maybe once the place is fixed up, we can have a team weekend.”
“Where’s it at?”
“Ocean City.”
“Sweet, about three hours from here, right?”
“Yeah, it’s not a bad drive.”
“Carol likes me, right? She’d let me borrow it?”
“Enough, DiNozzo. Plan your vacation after work.”
Abby raised her brows and then headed for the elevator back to her lab. Something must’ve happened between his early visit and now. Gibbs certainly wasn’t in a very good mood.
---
They caught one case after another and pretty soon Tuesday blurred into Wednesday and Wednesday into Thursday, and by eight pm, Abby was ready to leave. The forensics for the case were wrapped up, but the suspect was in ICU after Ziva had needed to put three bullets in his chest to keep McGee from getting hurt. It would be a few days before they could think about talking to him, let alone haul him into interrogation.
She was just finishing cleaning up her lab - the manual for her replacement was centered on the desk so as not to be missed - when Gibbs came in.
“You getting ready to head out?”
Abby eyed him curiously, his body tense as he spoke. “Yeah, pretty much. Were you waiting on something?” She turned to look at her machines, most of which were already off for the night.
“No.”
“Oh,” she thought for a moment and then smiled brightly. “You here to walk me out?”
“Why are you suddenly leaving?”
“Or not,” Abby continued to shut down the rest of her machines. “I told you, Carol has a new beach house that needs some work. I thought I would help out, and you know, a few days at the beach won’t hurt either. It’s not like I’m running away or something.” Abby added the last part with a quick glance back at him.
“Would you tell me if you were?”
Abby spun around. “What’s with you? First you’re worried that I’m working too hard, not sleeping enough. And now I’m taking three days and so I must be running away from something? What’s with you?”
“Have a good weekend, Abbs.” He watched her a moment longer before turning to leave the lab.
Abby watched him leave with a frown on her face.
---
Friday morning, Abby loaded up her car with the few tools she owned, several outfits that she didn’t mind getting a little dirty, plenty of reading material and her SPF - just in case. It wasn’t traditional beach weather, and it hadn’t been very sunny as of late, but she refused to go anywhere without her sunscreen.
As Tony had said, the drive was just over three hours. She pulled up to a smaller two story house at the end of the street. The outer color was a faded yellow with old, dirty looking white shutters on the windows. She double pulled her bag from the trunk and slung it over her shoulder before heading to the front door. The key turned easily and Abby stepped inside.
Carol had warned her that there wasn’t much furniture. In the living room, only a couch. The kitchen had the basics: places, silverware, a few pots and pans. There was a small table with enough room for four people. There was a decent size deck off the kitchen with a grill and a fantastic view of the ocean. Abby took in a deep breath, and spend a few minutes resting against the railing, listening to the gentle waves roll in. There were two bedrooms upstairs, one with a queen size bed (with clean sheets in the closet) and the other empty. The bathrooms were old and dated, but after a quick test of the water, proved to work well. Though everything downstairs worked just fine, the electrical for upstairs needed help, and every room was in dire need of paint.
Her plan was to spend Friday getting set up; finding out what she might need from the home improvement store, and grocery shopping. Saturday and Sunday would be spent working on the house, and Monday and Tuesday were for relaxing.
Once everything she had brought with was carried inside, she made a mental note of what she needed and headed back into town. She had spoken with Carol about what needed to be done - Carol wasn’t sure what color she wanted the rooms, but they both agreed that a coat of white wouldn’t be a bad idea. The decorating could come later, but a bright coat of white on the walls would make things much cleaner looking.
After the home improvement store, Abby stopped by the grocery store, picking up everything she thought she would need for the next few days. There was a small store closer to the house if she needed something basic, but she was fairly certain she had everything she needed. Though as a last minute impulse buy, she purchased a cheap coffee maker. She was at least an hour from the nearest seller of Caf-Pow! and she wasn’t about to go caffeine-free for nearly a week.
By late afternoon she decided on a grilled cheese sandwich and a salad for dinner, carrying her plate out to the back deck to enjoy the view. When her dinner was over, she pulled out a book, and propped her feet up on the chair across from her, reading until the sun set and she could hardly make out the words.
Feeling the chill of the sea air, Abby went inside and locked up before grabbing a quick shower in the down stairs bathroom. Once she was done, she took a candle and a flashlight upstairs, since there was no power and climbed beneath the sheets and thick blanket. For the first night in over a week she slept soundly through the night without dreaming of Gibbs and the team.
---
Abby was up early and began spreading drop clothes around the bedrooms upstairs. Her hope was to get one coat of the white primer on the bedroom walls, then take a look at the electrical mess upstairs before getting a second coat on the walls.
She was in the middle of taping off the windows in the second bedroom when she saw a familiar car pull up beside hers.
Hurrying downstairs, Abby pulled the front door open just as Gibbs raised his hand to knock. “What’re you doing here?”
Gibbs lifted his tool belt. “Figured you could use a little help.”
“Are you handy with a paint brush?”
“I could be.”
---
By the time darkness rolled in, Abby found herself sitting at the small kitchen table playing cards with Gibbs, the dishes from their simple dinner drying on the rack beside the sink. Poker wasn’t as fun when it was only two people, but it gave her the chance to focus on Gibbs. Pushing all her cheerios to the center of the table, she grinned, “all in.”
Minutes later, she was picking out cheerios from Gibbs’ winning pile, brushing off her loss.
“Time for bed, Abbs. I’ve got a sleeping bag in my car, you go get ready for bed. I’ll be on the couch.”
She debated offering to share the bed, it was plenty big enough for two, but she was certain he would say no. She didn’t need that awkward moment. “Ok. Lock up when you come back in?”
“Course.”
“Night Gibbs, thanks for coming up to help. I really appreciate it.”
Gibbs gave a little nod and then headed for the front door while Abby cleaned up and took a lantern upstairs. She knew how to fix the electrical mess upstairs, but didn’t have the proper tools to get it done. She’d have to go without power upstairs until she could come back and fix it.
She collapsed in bed, and was sound asleep within minutes.
“Love you,” It was a soft whisper, one she was sure she wasn’t supposed to hear, but it made her heart ache. Abby leaned back against the wall, and rubbed the side of her stomach where the baby had kicked. Gibbs was right around the corner, his arms around Tony. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him show any affection toward Tony at work. It was her domain. No one judged him when he kissed her gently on the cheek. She could ignore what they did at home, but at work… at work she was supposed to be his favorite.
Stop Abigail, she whispered. He’s not yours. He doesn’t love you.
“No,” she whispered to herself. “No…”
“What is it?” McGee was suddenly at her side, his hands gripping her arms. “Abby…”
“No!”
“Abbs, you’re okay. Wake up!” Gibbs pulled her up into a seated position as her eyes flickered open. “You were dreaming, I’ve got you,” he whispered softly as he smoothed his hand up and down her back.
Abby held on to him while she caught her breath. “I… I’m okay. Thank you.”
“You sure? Been having nightmares a lot?”
“Off and on… not really a nightmare, I just… I don’t know.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.” Abby was glad the room was dark and he couldn’t see her blush. “But um, will you… will you stay?”
“Yeah,” Gibbs nudged her so she would move over, giving him room to stretch out beside her. Once he was settled, he pulled her against his side, again rubbing his hand up and down her back. “Sleep, Abbs.”
---
Abby woke to the warmth of the sun shining on her face, and a heavy weight over her mid-section. It took a moment for her brain to start up, but soon she registered the warm breath on the back of her neck, and soft sounds of Gibbs’ breathing. She shifted slightly and smiled inwardly as Gibbs’ arm tightened around her middle.
Waking up with him wrapped around her answered her question of whether or not he was a cuddler.
“Anymore nightmares?”
Abby startled at the sound of his voice and shifted to her back when Gibbs leaned up on his elbow. “No. I slept really well, thanks for, um, staying with me,” she smiled shyly.
“How long have you been having nightmares?”
“I dunno, not long. It’s really not a nightmare… It’s nothing, really.”
“That why you’ve been so tired lately? Coming in early?”
“Guess so.”
“You don’t have to talk to me about it if you don’t want, but talk to someone if you think it’ll help.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Abby turned to look at him and before she could let herself get used to the idea of waking up beside him, she sat up. “Breakfast?”
“Coffee.”
While Gibbs made coffee, Abby poured cereal for the both of them. They enjoyed a quiet breakfast as they continued to wake up and then went back to work. This time, they focused on the outside, fixing the railing on the front step, and replacing a few rotted planks of wood on the back deck. The paused briefly for lunch and went back to work on the old house. While Gibbs hammered away outside, Abby reattached the baseboards where the paint was dry inside.
She was just finishing up when Gibbs pushed open the front door. “Suppose they’ve got a pizza place that delivers around here?”
“Yeah, I picked up a menu when I was in town. It’s by the phone.”
“I’ll order.”
Abby nodded and smiled when he rounded the corner. She loved that he didn’t even need to ask what kind of pizza she liked. He already knew. She could hear him order, and then give the address, and moments later he was back in the living room.
“I’m going to grab a quick shower before the pizza arrives. I’m covered in sawdust.”
“Yeah, okay.” Again she waited until he was out of the room before smiling. She didn’t mind that he was covered in saw dust. It was a familiar and comforting scent.
Gibbs was quick in the shower, and since the pizza was still 15 minutes out, Abby decided to get a quick shower as well. She tied up her wet hair, and slipped into a pair of sweats and a plain tee. Just as she stepped out of the bathroom, the doorbell rang and she heard Gibbs answer, pay and shut the door.
He carried the pizza past her, slapping her hand away as she tried to open the box for a peek and carried it out back to the small table on the deck.
Abby grabbed two beers, skipping the glasses, and walked barefoot outside to join him.
“Beautiful view, figured we’d better enjoy it.”
Abby looked out over the water and smiled. “Carol is lucky to have found this place. Perfect little get-away.”
Gibbs handed her a paper plate with a slice of pizza and uncapped her beer before doing the same with his own.
Dinner was relaxed, as it usually was with Gibbs, and Abby forgot all about her dreams. They talked about work, about the team. She told him more about Carol and how they met, and Gibbs talked about Emily - he had been invited to her piano recital.
“Come on,” Gibbs stood suddenly and reached out his hand.
“What…”
“Let’s go for a walk. It’s still warm enough, and it’s not dark yet,” Gibbs nodded to the beach. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“Oh, okay.” Abby followed him and he took her hand to help her over the boundaries of the property - a large pile of driftwood and several large rocks. And once they were out on the sand he let go of her hand only to remove he socks and shoes, leaving them on the driftwood in front of the beach house, smiling when she did the same.
Abby picked up his hand again as they continued down the beach looking over all the other beach houses lined up. Some were newly remodeled and others in need of work. Almost all of them showed the signs of a strong storm or two. Some houses looked empty, and others had lights on inside. She waved at a couple reading side-by-side on lawn chairs on their back deck. “Looks like they live here full-time; must be nice.”
“You think of retiring to a place like this someday? Away from the city?”
“Yeah. Some place like this, where you aren’t too far away, but yet it’s still a small town feel. Everything you need is near-by, but none of the traffic mess. This place, it’s kind of like Stillwater with a beach. And no coal mines.”
Gibbs smiled, but let her keep talking.
“It’s nice though, everyone knows each other, or at least recognizes them. You wave to your neighbor, smile… well, I guess it’s probably like that down your street, but where I live? I’m not sure I even know what my neighbor looks like.”
Gibbs’ hand tightened around hers. “You shouldn’t live there, Abbs. You know I don’t like that area of town. S’not safe.”
“I know, but the rent is cheap, and it’s not like I’m there all that much to really worry about it. But when I think about it, it’s basically an over-priced storage unit.”
“There is a house in my neighborhood up for sale.”
“Right, and what would I do with a huge house… wait!” Abby stopped and a huge grin spread across her face when Gibbs looked at her. “Maybe McGee, Tony and Ziva want to move in, too! Then, you could drive over and we could all carpool in to work together. It would be great, we’d always be together, and we could have team dinner every night. And we could just walk over to your house.”
Gibbs rolled his eyes as Abby rambled on about her NCIS house and the parties they would have. He knew she wasn’t serious, but still… the idea of his entire team living so close to him both scared and intrigued him. He’d never admit to be protective of anyone except Abby, but his teams’ safety was always on his mind. “So maybe not a house, but I’m sure we can find you something in a little bit of a nicer area for the same price.”
“I guess, but I’m just too busy to move. I was lucky to get time off to come up here. How am I supposed to have time to search for apartments and have time to move if I find one. It’s not that big of a deal. I’ve got the extra lock that you installed on my door. And I’m on the third floor, so no one will crawl in my window. I’ll be fine.”
Gibbs decided to drop the subject for now.
They headed back to the house, and stopped by the hose to rinse the sand off their feet before going on.
“Night Gibbs,” Abby pressed up on her toes to kiss his cheek and then grabbed a lantern and headed upstairs.
This time the dreams came quickly.
“Gibbs, you’re not listening-”
“Abby stop,” he gripped her shoulders and held her away from him. “I don’t love you, not like that. I love Tony. You’ve got McGee and your baby. You don’t need me.”
“It’s not true,” Abby sobbed as she tried to wriggle free from Gibbs’ firm grasp to hug him. “It’s not true. I do need you, I love you. I always have.”
“No. I don’t love you. I don’t. Not anymore.”
“Gibbs…” Abby stopped struggling. “Fine.” Anger took over. “I get it.”
“Wake up, Abbs… I’ve got you.”
“I get, okay!” Abby pushed him away. “I get it!”
“Abbs, what..?” Gibbs was shocked as she crawled away from him, falling from the bed with a thud.
“Ouch.”
“You okay?” Gibbs got up and circled around the bed, the moonlight the only thing lighting the room.
“I was dreaming again.”
“Mmhmm,” Gibbs lowered himself to sit beside her on the floor. “Sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
“There isn’t really anything…”
“You kept saying that you ‘get it’… what did you get?”
“I… can we talk about this in the morning? Please?”
“Yeah,” Gibbs sighed. He knew he couldn’t force her to talk, but if she didn’t open up the next morning he would push a little harder.
“Will you stay… again?” Abby stood and then pulled Gibbs to his feet.
His response was to pull back the covers and sit down, waiting for her to circle around and climb back in to where she had been. The moment he pulled the covers up over her, she snuggled up against him and spoke in a soft whisper. “Thank you.”
For the second night in a row, Abby fell asleep quickly, the warmth of Gibbs’ arms around her keeping her dreams away.
---
This time she was well aware he was already awake when her eyes fluttered open against the morning sun streaming in through the window. Again she awoke to the feel of Gibbs’ chest pressed firmly up against her back, his arm over her. This time, instead of holding on to her, his finger tips were brushing softly, back and forth along her arm. “You didn’t love me anymore…”
“What?” He shifted up to his elbow to try and see her face.
“I was pregnant with McGee’s baby, and you came out to say that you loved Tony. And you didn’t love me.”
“What are you...?”
“And Ziva keeps crying, she’s happy, but she’s crying. Have you ever seen Ziva cry happy tears? Hell, have you ever seen Ziva cry at all?”
“Abby, what are you talking about?”
“My dreams. They are different each night, but the same basic idea each time…”
“That’s what’s kept you up at night? A dream where I tell you I don’t love you?”
“And I’m pregnant with McGee’s baby…”
“Hey…” Gibbs moved back, giving her room to roll onto her back and look over at him. “It’s just a dream.”
“I know, it’s just… I don’t know. It’s not a big deal.”
“It is if it’s keeping you up at night.”
“Honestly, it’s no big deal. I’ll get over it.”
“Get over what?”
“My dreams,” Abby turned to look at him.
“They’re just dreams. Not real.”
“Thank God. I mean, McGee is a wonderful person, but… having a baby with him? I don’t think so. And you and Tony? I mean, we’re all family, but I can’t quite picture you and Tony… you know. I mean, not that I’d have a problem with a gay relationship or anything, but I just can’t quite-”
“Nothing going on between DiNozzo and I.” Gibbs rolled his eyes. “But what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Can you picture yourself with me?”
Abby laughed softly. “That’s a joke, right?” When Gibbs didn’t answer, she turned her head to look at him. “You’re not?”
Again, Gibbs didn’t answer, instead he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to hers. It wasn’t a long kiss, it wasn’t deep, but it was just enough to make Abby sigh happily when Gibbs pulled away. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Right, because ‘hey Gibbs, I’ve been dreaming that you’re in love with Tony and it’s making me ridiculously jealous’ is a great conversation starter.” She rolled toward him. “Why did you just kiss me?”
“You don’t need to be jealous.”
“There’s a reason everyone tells me that I’m your favorite?”
“Is this really why you decided you needed to get away for a few days? Because of me?”
“Not you, the dreams. I just… I needed to give myself sometime to completely focus on something else, and fixing up this place for Carol seemed like a good idea. The first night I was here I didn’t have any dreams…”
“Then I showed up and they came back?”
Abby nodded. “It should make you feel better to know that once you curled up in bed with me, they didn’t come back. You should just start in here tonight. Then we’ll know for sure that you’re keeping away the dreams.”
“Can’t.”
“Why?” Abby struggled to sit up. He had spent two nights holding her, he had kissed her and now… was this the blow off?
Gibbs tightened his hold on her, staying silent until she stopped struggling. “It’s Monday. I need to head back to DC. Told Tony I’d be back in the office by lunch.”
“Oh.”
“You’ve got tomorrow off, so you stay and relax. I’ll see you tomorrow when you get back. Come spend the night at my place?”
“Yeah, okay,” she nodded. She wasn’t thrilled with the idea of him leaving, but the whole reason she had taken time off was to spend some time alone. A night on the back deck with a good book would be fine.
“Good.” Gibbs pushed a lock of her hair out of her face, smiled and then headed downstairs to shower.
Abby lay in bed awhile longer as she replayed their brief kiss over and over again in her mind before changing into her clothes for the day and heading down to the kitchen to start the coffee maker.
Gibbs magically appeared as soon as the coffee beeped and Abby pour the fresh brew into the travel mug he’d brought with him. “You sure you have to go back today?”
Gibbs nodded. “I didn’t exactly ask for time off. Just said I’d be in a bit late today.”
“Ah, okay.” Abby smiled shyly. She didn’t know what was happening between them now. He had kissed her, but it wasn’t the deep, knee-buckling kiss she had always dreamed of.
Gibbs double checked he had his keys in his pocket and then set his cup down on the counter beside Abby. “Hey, but I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”
“Right.”
“Good.” Gibbs moved closer, stepping into her personal space. When she didn’t step away, he brushed his knuckles along her cheek and leaned in to kiss her. This time, not holding back. When he found himself pressing Abby against the wall behind her, he finally pulled back. “Tomorrow.” He kissed her one last time and then grabbed his coffee and his overnight bag and left.
The moment the door shut, Abby slipped down to the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest, muffling her girly giggle against her knees. She sat there and listened as Gibbs’ car backed out of the driveway and pulled away. She looked around at all the work they had gotten done over the weekend. Carol would be so impressed when she visited next - Abby couldn’t wait to hear the happiness in her friends voice. There were a few things that she could still do by herself, but she had planned to relax on her final day.
Her thoughts then shifted to bed time. Knowing now, that something started between them, the idea of spending the night without Gibbs was weighing heavily on her heart. She glanced at her watch and then out the window. She didn’t drive as fast as he did, but she knew Gibbs would have to stop for gas before he left town (she had refueled her tank when she had run into town earlier during the weekend), and if she was lucky, he’d run home before going to NCIS.
She rushed around the house, gathering everything that was hers and tossing it into her car. She emptied the kitchen of food and garbage and put it in the bin by the street. It only took 15 minutes and she was off in the direction of DC.
The three hour drive went quickly. She debated just going to his place and waiting for him, but if he wasn’t expecting her, she wouldn’t be surprised if he worked late. Then she thought about going home, calling him, asking him to check on her place and surprise him. But finally, she decided on going to work. She pulled into her parking spot, and was surprised to see that Gibbs’ car wasn’t in his usual spot. She waved at security, and handed her bag over for inspection before going through the metal detector and then heading to the elevator.
When the elevator stopped at the squad room she rushed forward without hesitation, colliding with Gibbs.
“Wait, you’re here?”
“Abbs?”
“I missed you.”
Gibbs looked over his shoulder at the team. They hadn’t noticed her, so he pushed her back into the elevator, sending them back toward the lobby.
“Where are we going?” Abby looked at him curiously.
Gibbs leaned forward for a kiss.“Home. We’re going home.”
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The End
** Please not that the deliberate act of adding just about everything she *didn't* want was based on a joke we have. Not just to piss her off.