The things we do for love (my challenge #13 fic)
TITLE: The things we do for love
AUTHOR: Sage Harper (aka Erehwon6)
PAIRING: Gibbs/Ducky (and Abby/McGee too)
GENRE: Slash (with a side of het obviously)
SUB-GENRE: established relationships, comedy
WORD COUNT: 1,635
WARNINGS none
SPOILERS None, only a very subtle reference to 'Kill Ari'
SUMMARY: Written for Challenge #13 using the prompts; affection, green, sleeping
DISCLAIMER: All the good stuff belongs to Donald P. Bellisario et all, I'm just borrowing and will put them back when I've finished.
Abby found herself pleasantly surprised to find she liked the quilt in Gibbs’ guest bedroom. It was patchwork, rendered in various shades of green, a really cosy slice of old fashioned Americana; which was certainly not anything she’d go for herself, as it would clash terribly with the new décor of her apartment.
Hence her being there in fact, she had mentioned the impromptu paint job (deep reds and purples, in hopes of creating a sort of cocoon effect) to Ducky and he had naturally been rather concerned for her well being should she sleep amongst the fumes. A few waffling anecdotes and a curious absence later Dr Mallard reported that Gibbs had agreed to let her stay over, and if further conformation was needed Gibbs drove them all home in manner considerably less reckless than usual.
From then on the evening just kept getting better. Ducky had made dinner, a cassoulet of some kind, which they had eaten at the dinning table laid out formally just for the three of them in honour of the occasion. Abby had only stopped thanking and complimenting Ducky when he’d blushed with modesty. That was followed by raspberry ice-cream and a documentary about the Aztecs, until Gibbs had got restless and went off to work on the boat. He wasn’t really a fan of TV anyway, only installing the set upstairs for Ducky’s benefit, though he couldn’t complain about the rainy Sunday afternoons they passed snuggled together watching old movies.
Abby had stayed upstairs for a while with Ducky, enthralled by the section re-enacting human sacrifices, but that didn’t last so she went to see Gibbs. Who allowed to assist him and was very tactful when she’d demonstrated an unprecedented lack of ability.
Whilst all the little things were wonderful, what Abby most appreciated was the atmosphere. Away from the formality and tensions of work they were all able to relax, the easy affection between the older men’s long friendship shining through, leaving Abby feeling cosseted by it too. By the time they retired for the night Abby was starting to see them more as favourite uncles than her superiors at work.
~oo0oo~
For a moment after hearing the noise Gibbs lay staring at the ceiling, coming to and trying to place what he woken him. A window opening, across the hall, then uncertain footsteps inside that room … An intruder.
Gibbs didn’t ‘believe in’ burglar alarms, always claimed his gut was more reliable and it didn’t need a degree in electronics to operate. Ducky had briefly raised the issue but decided it wasn’t worth the bother of arguing. It didn’t take almost thirty years friendship to know that once Jethro Gibbs made up his mind there was really no point debating the issue.
Gibbs was relieved to note Ducky was sleeping peacefully, and the intruder seemingly hadn’t moved from the room they had entered and there was nothing of any particular value in that room anyway. For now he did not need to worry.
Then he remember, sitting bolt upright, that there was something in that room more precious than any material things. Junk like that could be replaced, but not his team.
With sickening images of what he might find filling his head, Jethro carefully clambered out of bed quietly as he could.
‘Best not to wake, Ducky’ he decided ‘I can take care of this, no point worrying him unnecessarily’.
With that in mind he pulled the gun from under his pillow and padded across the hall.
~oo0oo~
Naked but for the blankets covering her Abby smiled languidly, and in an affectionate tone teased;
I see Paris
I see France
I see …
“Federal agent! Hands in the air!”
With that Gibbs flung open the door, and trained his gun on the man stood in the middle of the room.
“Gibbs, OK, this is totally not what it looks like.” Abby faltered, then stopped.
She had to concede that well yeah it probably was exactly how it looked. That and she didn’t quite know how to proceed. Gibbs in the good mood she had witnessed hours earlier was one thing, but Gibbs was a loaded gun and caffeine deficiency (i.e. terrifying uncharted territory) was quite another.
“What is that?” Gibbs demanded, waving the gun at the other man’s seemingly leopard print crotch.
“Umm well, it’s a thong, Gibbs” Abby answered “but umm y’know for guys, a ‘man thong’ if you will.”
At that point Gibbs nearly lost it, though not in the way Abby had anticipated.
This was quite possibly the most ridiculous thing he had seen in a long time. Abby burrowed under the covers, fumbling to dress herself. Whilst McGee … hmm he’d always seemed more of a briefs kinda guy. Well anyway there he was, pants round his ankles, apparently praying for the floor to swallow him whole.
“Gibbs, please don’t be mad at Abby” McGee pleaded “this was all my idea, it was meant to be a surprise.”
“Yeah, it sure was.” Gibbs retorted dryly.
~oo0oo~
At which point the overhead light snapped on, bringing what had been a softly lit room (illuminated only by a bedside lamp) into sharp focus. In response Gibbs swung around toward the newcomer.
“Jethro, is that a gun or are you just pleased to see me?” Ducky inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“Little of both, Duck.”
“Well I suggest you put it down, Dear.”
Obediently Gibbs lowered the weapon, composed himself in the face of such farce, then turned back to the others.
“Rule number however far we’re up to” he began “never, ever, enter my home without my express permission.”
“Or a search warrant?” Abby suggested, having remerged from her fabric cocoon.
“Yes, or that.” Gibbs replied weakly. He had always found it impossible to stay mad at Abby for long; she was just so … child like. In a good way, not childish, that would be DiNozzo.
Ducky stepped forward, and was confronted with the sight of McGee.
“Oh dear, Timothy,” Ducky sighed and shook his head “what were you thinking?”
“Umm I … I don’t know, Doctor Mallard.” McGee replied truthfully.
Indeed what kind of an idiot would break and enter Gibbs’ house, whilst Gibbs was in it, without very apparent honourable intentions? McGee could only think of one person who had done that, and they hadn’t made it out alive.
“Well people have been known to do some foolish things in the name of love” Ducky began, then surprised his companions by not providing an anecdote, but rather directing a knowing look to Gibbs, before concluding “So I don’t think we should overly concern ourselves with this rather unfortunate misunderstanding.”
McGee turned to Gibbs, nodded enthusiastically and declared;
“I swear Boss, this will never happen again.”
“Damn right.” Gibbs snapped “I’m quite disappointed really, was certainly not expecting such stupidity from you McGee. DiNozzo maybe, but not you.”
“Oh God, please please, don’t mention this to Tony.” McGee grovelled “I will do anything you ask, just, look, I’m seriously begging you here, can we keep this between ourselves.”
“I do think the poor boy has suffered enough” Ducky said mildly, placing a hand on Gibbs’ shoulder “now as it is rather late, how about we all retired for what is left of the night, then resolve this err situation in the morning.”
“Great idea, Duckman” Abby concurred.
“Umm does that mean I can stay here?” McGee inquired tentatively. Not wanting to push his luck, but desperately needing to know. As the first bus out of here wasn’t til dawn, and he didn’t have money for a cab.
Gibbs sighed, knowing resistance was futile.
“Yes, McGee, you can stop over” he answered
Aware there would be ‘a but’ they all waited expectantly.
“But, I want you to apologise to Abby for putting her in such a compromising position, and to Ducky for waking him as a result.”
“And…” Gibbs continued, once McGee had made his profuse apologises “You are to be awake at 06:00 sharp, to have breakfast on the table for 7:30 then I shall give you further instructions.”
Ducky rolled his eyes, so that was how Jethro was going to get out of cleaning the guttering.
“But Gibbs, it’ll be Sunday” Abby said “You know, ‘the day of rest’.”
“Well it will be, for us.” Ducky noted gently.
“You wanna help lover boy with his chores, Abbs?” Gibbs asked, then paused “after all the trouble he’s caused?”
Abby and McGee both gave their agreement; knowingly they had got off rather lightly.
“You do?” Gibbs was flummoxed, any residual desire to punish Abby melting away with this revelation of utmost loyalty. “Well I guess you can fix lunch.”
“But I like cooking.” Abby noted
“I strongly advise you not to push your luck, Abby” Ducky put in, approaching her bed.
“I’ll go make up the bed in the study for McGee” Gibbs commented to Ducky, then exited followed by McGee.
~oo0oo~
“Are you going to tell me a story?” Abby asked brightly, as Ducky tucked her in.
“I have lots of stories, my dear. Which one would you like?”
“Actually I’m not so much after a story as an answer. I mean OK Gibbs has his room obviously, then I’ve got the guest room, and now McGee’s on the couch. So where …oh”
Suddenly a million little moments, the tiniest of gestures and details, fell into place for Abby. How could she have been so stupid not to notice before?
Ducky smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed.
“We all have our secrets, my love; and sometimes I think it is best that way.”
Abby almost began to protest, the fell silent.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
He leant close and kissed her forehead
“I knew you would understand”
The End
PS. I’ve also signed up for ‘20 established relationships’; my claim is Abby/McGee, but there is/will be plenty of Gibbs/Ducky in the fics too so Nikki suggested I mention it here. Anyway my table for that is here if you’d like to check it out. :)
AUTHOR: Sage Harper (aka Erehwon6)
PAIRING: Gibbs/Ducky (and Abby/McGee too)
GENRE: Slash (with a side of het obviously)
SUB-GENRE: established relationships, comedy
WORD COUNT: 1,635
WARNINGS none
SPOILERS None, only a very subtle reference to 'Kill Ari'
SUMMARY: Written for Challenge #13 using the prompts; affection, green, sleeping
DISCLAIMER: All the good stuff belongs to Donald P. Bellisario et all, I'm just borrowing and will put them back when I've finished.
Abby found herself pleasantly surprised to find she liked the quilt in Gibbs’ guest bedroom. It was patchwork, rendered in various shades of green, a really cosy slice of old fashioned Americana; which was certainly not anything she’d go for herself, as it would clash terribly with the new décor of her apartment.
Hence her being there in fact, she had mentioned the impromptu paint job (deep reds and purples, in hopes of creating a sort of cocoon effect) to Ducky and he had naturally been rather concerned for her well being should she sleep amongst the fumes. A few waffling anecdotes and a curious absence later Dr Mallard reported that Gibbs had agreed to let her stay over, and if further conformation was needed Gibbs drove them all home in manner considerably less reckless than usual.
From then on the evening just kept getting better. Ducky had made dinner, a cassoulet of some kind, which they had eaten at the dinning table laid out formally just for the three of them in honour of the occasion. Abby had only stopped thanking and complimenting Ducky when he’d blushed with modesty. That was followed by raspberry ice-cream and a documentary about the Aztecs, until Gibbs had got restless and went off to work on the boat. He wasn’t really a fan of TV anyway, only installing the set upstairs for Ducky’s benefit, though he couldn’t complain about the rainy Sunday afternoons they passed snuggled together watching old movies.
Abby had stayed upstairs for a while with Ducky, enthralled by the section re-enacting human sacrifices, but that didn’t last so she went to see Gibbs. Who allowed to assist him and was very tactful when she’d demonstrated an unprecedented lack of ability.
Whilst all the little things were wonderful, what Abby most appreciated was the atmosphere. Away from the formality and tensions of work they were all able to relax, the easy affection between the older men’s long friendship shining through, leaving Abby feeling cosseted by it too. By the time they retired for the night Abby was starting to see them more as favourite uncles than her superiors at work.
~oo0oo~
For a moment after hearing the noise Gibbs lay staring at the ceiling, coming to and trying to place what he woken him. A window opening, across the hall, then uncertain footsteps inside that room … An intruder.
Gibbs didn’t ‘believe in’ burglar alarms, always claimed his gut was more reliable and it didn’t need a degree in electronics to operate. Ducky had briefly raised the issue but decided it wasn’t worth the bother of arguing. It didn’t take almost thirty years friendship to know that once Jethro Gibbs made up his mind there was really no point debating the issue.
Gibbs was relieved to note Ducky was sleeping peacefully, and the intruder seemingly hadn’t moved from the room they had entered and there was nothing of any particular value in that room anyway. For now he did not need to worry.
Then he remember, sitting bolt upright, that there was something in that room more precious than any material things. Junk like that could be replaced, but not his team.
With sickening images of what he might find filling his head, Jethro carefully clambered out of bed quietly as he could.
‘Best not to wake, Ducky’ he decided ‘I can take care of this, no point worrying him unnecessarily’.
With that in mind he pulled the gun from under his pillow and padded across the hall.
~oo0oo~
Naked but for the blankets covering her Abby smiled languidly, and in an affectionate tone teased;
I see Paris
I see France
I see …
“Federal agent! Hands in the air!”
With that Gibbs flung open the door, and trained his gun on the man stood in the middle of the room.
“Gibbs, OK, this is totally not what it looks like.” Abby faltered, then stopped.
She had to concede that well yeah it probably was exactly how it looked. That and she didn’t quite know how to proceed. Gibbs in the good mood she had witnessed hours earlier was one thing, but Gibbs was a loaded gun and caffeine deficiency (i.e. terrifying uncharted territory) was quite another.
“What is that?” Gibbs demanded, waving the gun at the other man’s seemingly leopard print crotch.
“Umm well, it’s a thong, Gibbs” Abby answered “but umm y’know for guys, a ‘man thong’ if you will.”
At that point Gibbs nearly lost it, though not in the way Abby had anticipated.
This was quite possibly the most ridiculous thing he had seen in a long time. Abby burrowed under the covers, fumbling to dress herself. Whilst McGee … hmm he’d always seemed more of a briefs kinda guy. Well anyway there he was, pants round his ankles, apparently praying for the floor to swallow him whole.
“Gibbs, please don’t be mad at Abby” McGee pleaded “this was all my idea, it was meant to be a surprise.”
“Yeah, it sure was.” Gibbs retorted dryly.
~oo0oo~
At which point the overhead light snapped on, bringing what had been a softly lit room (illuminated only by a bedside lamp) into sharp focus. In response Gibbs swung around toward the newcomer.
“Jethro, is that a gun or are you just pleased to see me?” Ducky inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“Little of both, Duck.”
“Well I suggest you put it down, Dear.”
Obediently Gibbs lowered the weapon, composed himself in the face of such farce, then turned back to the others.
“Rule number however far we’re up to” he began “never, ever, enter my home without my express permission.”
“Or a search warrant?” Abby suggested, having remerged from her fabric cocoon.
“Yes, or that.” Gibbs replied weakly. He had always found it impossible to stay mad at Abby for long; she was just so … child like. In a good way, not childish, that would be DiNozzo.
Ducky stepped forward, and was confronted with the sight of McGee.
“Oh dear, Timothy,” Ducky sighed and shook his head “what were you thinking?”
“Umm I … I don’t know, Doctor Mallard.” McGee replied truthfully.
Indeed what kind of an idiot would break and enter Gibbs’ house, whilst Gibbs was in it, without very apparent honourable intentions? McGee could only think of one person who had done that, and they hadn’t made it out alive.
“Well people have been known to do some foolish things in the name of love” Ducky began, then surprised his companions by not providing an anecdote, but rather directing a knowing look to Gibbs, before concluding “So I don’t think we should overly concern ourselves with this rather unfortunate misunderstanding.”
McGee turned to Gibbs, nodded enthusiastically and declared;
“I swear Boss, this will never happen again.”
“Damn right.” Gibbs snapped “I’m quite disappointed really, was certainly not expecting such stupidity from you McGee. DiNozzo maybe, but not you.”
“Oh God, please please, don’t mention this to Tony.” McGee grovelled “I will do anything you ask, just, look, I’m seriously begging you here, can we keep this between ourselves.”
“I do think the poor boy has suffered enough” Ducky said mildly, placing a hand on Gibbs’ shoulder “now as it is rather late, how about we all retired for what is left of the night, then resolve this err situation in the morning.”
“Great idea, Duckman” Abby concurred.
“Umm does that mean I can stay here?” McGee inquired tentatively. Not wanting to push his luck, but desperately needing to know. As the first bus out of here wasn’t til dawn, and he didn’t have money for a cab.
Gibbs sighed, knowing resistance was futile.
“Yes, McGee, you can stop over” he answered
Aware there would be ‘a but’ they all waited expectantly.
“But, I want you to apologise to Abby for putting her in such a compromising position, and to Ducky for waking him as a result.”
“And…” Gibbs continued, once McGee had made his profuse apologises “You are to be awake at 06:00 sharp, to have breakfast on the table for 7:30 then I shall give you further instructions.”
Ducky rolled his eyes, so that was how Jethro was going to get out of cleaning the guttering.
“But Gibbs, it’ll be Sunday” Abby said “You know, ‘the day of rest’.”
“Well it will be, for us.” Ducky noted gently.
“You wanna help lover boy with his chores, Abbs?” Gibbs asked, then paused “after all the trouble he’s caused?”
Abby and McGee both gave their agreement; knowingly they had got off rather lightly.
“You do?” Gibbs was flummoxed, any residual desire to punish Abby melting away with this revelation of utmost loyalty. “Well I guess you can fix lunch.”
“But I like cooking.” Abby noted
“I strongly advise you not to push your luck, Abby” Ducky put in, approaching her bed.
“I’ll go make up the bed in the study for McGee” Gibbs commented to Ducky, then exited followed by McGee.
~oo0oo~
“Are you going to tell me a story?” Abby asked brightly, as Ducky tucked her in.
“I have lots of stories, my dear. Which one would you like?”
“Actually I’m not so much after a story as an answer. I mean OK Gibbs has his room obviously, then I’ve got the guest room, and now McGee’s on the couch. So where …oh”
Suddenly a million little moments, the tiniest of gestures and details, fell into place for Abby. How could she have been so stupid not to notice before?
Ducky smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed.
“We all have our secrets, my love; and sometimes I think it is best that way.”
Abby almost began to protest, the fell silent.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
He leant close and kissed her forehead
“I knew you would understand”
The End
PS. I’ve also signed up for ‘20 established relationships’; my claim is Abby/McGee, but there is/will be plenty of Gibbs/Ducky in the fics too so Nikki suggested I mention it here. Anyway my table for that is here if you’d like to check it out. :)