Hello everyone! I know it's been ages since I last updated my other story but my computer decided to give up on me and I had nowhere to work :-/ Thankfully, I backed my files up regularly, so I didn't lose anything, but I didn't have where to write. That's why I haven't updated in so long. I have a new computer now so hopefully I will have a new chapter up by next week.
This is just a oneshot that popped into my head, unrelated to my other story :-) It's from Abby's POV but about Kate and Gibbs. I hope you will enjoy reading this! Comments and suggestions are always welcome! Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS...
xOxOx
Watching
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Abby likes to watch them. It has become her new hobby as of late; or rather, her new obsession, if she wants to be honest. She's even keeping a log of all the incidents she notices that catch her attention. That must qualify as an obsession…
It's not her fault, really, she just wants answers. Since neither Gibbs nor Kate offer anything willingly, she will find out on her own. It's their fault, they should have been more careful if they wanted to keep this a secret.
She remembers that first time that tipped her off that something was off, that something had changed.
It was a couple of months ago. Two months and five days to be exact. They were all working on a very demanding case, one that had everyone on edge due the lack of evidence and the obscene amount of time they had spent on it without really getting anywhere.
The team, along with her and Ducky, were gathered in the bullpen going over the many files strewn all over their desks. She remembers Tony grumbling about something while reading a file, seated behind his desk. Kate was studying the photos of their suspects on the big screen, trying to figure out the elusive connection. Tim was sitting on the floor, his laptop on his lap and several files surrounding him. Ducky was busy going over the autopsy and toxicology results and Gibbs looked extremely irritated as he studied his computer monitor.
She was sitting behind McGee's desk, trying to focus on the test results in front of her but with no luck. Se already knew the file by heart, she doubted she would find anything new in there.
It was Gibbs standing up that initially caught her attention. She hoped that he had come up with something new so she watched him, but apparently that was not the case. Gibbs only moved to where Kate was standing in front of the monitor and he stopped right behind her, looking at the monitor over her shoulder. Kate didn't even flinch by his presence, she just continued watching the monitor as Gibbs stood behind her, invading her personal space.
Now, normally, that wouldn't have made her think twice; Gibbs invaded people's personal spaces all the time. But this was different somehow... What caught her attention was the fact that he was standing a little closer than usual, his chest almost pressed against Kate's back, and Kate didn't react at all, like this was a natural occurrence. Abby's eyes darted around the room, wanting to see if the others noticed it too, she couldn't be the only one! To her disappointment though, no one else was paying attention. She didn't want to do something to inform the others lest the agents in front of the monitor realized she was onto them.
So she turned to look at Kate and Gibbs again, observing them closely, for what she didn't know yet. They stayed close like this, eyes on the monitor, not saying a word. Abby could swear that Gibbs didn't look as irritated now as he did moments ago when he was at his desk. Why wasn't anyone paying attention so that she could compare notes later?
She waited patiently, eyes on them all the while, hoping at the same time that Gibbs wouldn't turn around and see her doing nothing at all. For a moment, she thought that nothing would happen when he stepped away from Kate and headed back to his desk, but he returned back to his previous position, file in hand.
It was then that Kate acknowledged him, turning to look at him, eyebrows raised in a silent question as to what could he be looking for in that file. His eyes caught hers and he just shrugged in answer making her shake her head and return her attention to the monitor.
They didn't exchange one word all this time and yet it seemed like they had an entire conversation just by looking at each other, communicating silently without alerting anyone else to what they were doing.
Unfortunately, moments later, McGee announced that he had found something, making Gibbs move towards his desk and away from Kate, much to Abby's annoyance. After that moment she decided that she would need to watch these two closely and find out what was going on. Because she was convinced that something was definitely going on.
For the next five days after that first incident nothing worth mentioning happened. The team had no active case and Abby had no excuse to visit the bullpen. Plus, she was so swamped with other cases that, even if she did find an excuse, she wouldn't have found the time.
It was on the sixth day that something finally happened, piquing her curiosity even more and making her suspicion even stronger than it already was.
The team had landed a new case after successfully wrapping the previous one. Tony and Tim were on a stake out, watching their main suspect's house, while Kate and Gibbs remained at Headquarters, checking some leads before heading home for a much needed rest since they were to change Tony and Tim in a few hours.
Abby had some test results to give them so she found the perfect opportunity to head up to the bullpen to give the results to Kate and Gibbs herself. She was careful not to take the elevator but opted for the stairs instead, so she could watch them without alerting them to her arrival. It was already late so she guessed that most agents would already have left for the day.
When she reached the bullpen she found them both there, Gibbs sitting behind his desk, coffee cup in hand, while Kate was standing in front of his desk, facing him, and reading a file. She couldn't hear what they were saying from her position, but she could see them clearly enough to notice Gibbs' smile and Kate's teasing grin as she tossed the file at him and headed for her desk, probably to retrieve something. Before she could, though, Gibbs stopped her, his fingers wrapping around her wrist, and before she could do anything he opened one of his drawers and handed her what looked like a granola bar. Kate took it with an amused smile and reached for the file once again.
Abby smiled to herself and headed back to the lab, deciding to call them down and not interrupt them. She would ponder what she just saw later, now they had a case to solve. So, when she returned to her lab she called Gibbs, telling him she had some interesting findings to show him. Minutes later, both of them entered her lab, Gibbs with his coffee and Kate with the granola bar he handed her earlier. Abby noticed the brand immediately, it was Kate's favorite. The fact that Gibbs had given it to her made this all the more interesting. She stored the info in her head and proceeded to explain to the two agents what she had found, always watching them closely. She'd get to the bottom of this…
Nothing major happened for the next few days but she kept observing them closely, noting every little move, touch and look that passed between them. If what she thought was happening was true, they were bound to slip up and she would be there to catch them.
It was a week later that something interesting happened again. She noticed that the elevator was stopped, probably from the inside, while heading to Ducky's Autopsy lab. At first she shrugged it off and didn't give it much thought, she just used the stairs to get there. It was five minutes later when Kate and Gibbs stepped into Autopsy.
"Is the elevator still stuck?" she asked with a frown.
"Elevator wasn't stuck, Abby," Gibbs replied nonchalantly and then turned to Ducky leaving Abby to look at the two agents curiously, wondering what they could be doing in a stopped elevator.
After that she started keeping a log of every behavior she found noteworthy. And she found a lot of those…
She started watching the little things; the way they acted around one another, the way they stood a little closer together than usual, the accidental touches and soft gazes. Neither said anything about it though. She didn't dare ask Gibbs about it, of course, and her best friend refused that there was someone in her life when Abby pointed out that she looked extremely happy about something one day. So the scientist continued observing silently, waiting for the next big thing.
That came two weeks later. It was another sleepless nights at the office, another case that seemed that it would never end. McGee was at her lab, following a money trail, Tony was on a much needed coffee run and she was heading to the bullpen to retrieve some new files that had arrived for her. That's when she saw Gibbs and Kate at the bullpen.
He looked frustrated as he grabbed his coffee cup only to find it empty. He threw it into the trash and, without a second thought, he reached out and took Kate's cup from her desk. Kate merely raised an eyebrow at him and he scrunched up his face as he took a gulp from the hot liquid.
"DiNozzo is on his way," she pointed out as she turned the page in the file she was reading.
"Well, he is taking too long…" Gibbs muttered as he took another sip from her coffee "How do you drink this thing?"
"The question is how do you drink that thing you call coffee," she told him with a little smirk.
He just waved her off but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he didn't bother to hide it from her making her shake her head in amusement.
She extended her hand, motioning for him to give her back the cup, but he just leaned against her desk and took another swig from her coffee, keeping a straight face this time. She reached out and swatted his arm and then she just grabbed the cup from his hand, making him smile and Abby gawk at them.
"You can admit that you just like my coffee, no one is going to judge you," she teased and he chuckled, suddenly in a much better mood than before.
"Yeah, that's gonna happen," he stated, locking eyes with her, and she grinned at him before drinking her coffee.
Abby waited with bated breath for something to happen but, unfortunately, DiNozzo chose that moment to make his entrance, coffee cups and sandwiches in hand.
"DiNozzo, where the hell have you been?" Gibbs' voice rang through the bullpen and Tony flinched as he approached, immediately handing the coffee cup to his boss.
"Sorry, boss, it was a bit crowded," he apologized and Gibbs looked pointedly at his watch before turning back to his agent.
"At two o'clock in the morning?" he inquired, knowing full well that something else held him up.
"Did you go to that place with the new barista?" Kate asked from her desk and Tony glared at her.
"Thanks a lot, Kate," he said sarcastically.
"No problem, Tony," she replied with a smile.
"Back to work," Gibbs ordered, stopping them before they could continue their usual bickering.
Abby decided to kill Tony another day for interrupting the moment.
The incidents kept piling up over the next days but she didn't have something irrefutable yet; it didn't take too long to occur though. What solidified her belief that Gibbs and Kate were in a relationship and that it wasn't just wistful thinking on her part, happened only a day ago.
It was the team's day off and Abby was out with a friend when she accidentally bumped into them. Of course, she did her best not to be seen, dragging her friend along with her because Kate had met her and she was sure she would recognize her.
She saw them sitting together at a café, enjoying their coffee. Their chairs were close together and Gibb's arm was draped casually over Kate's chair, while she had her hand on his knee. They both had matching smiles on their faces and Abby was certain she had never seen that soft expression on Gibbs' face before.
She just watched them for a while, shushing her friend who was asking what exactly they were doing and why they were hiding, promising that she would explain everything later.
She finally had her answer! Gibbs and Kate were definitely in a relationship, she was certain about it now. She was also ecstatic about it. Now, she had to find a way to tell them what she knew.
Just when she was about to turn around and leave, since she finally had her answers, she saw Gibbs leaning down and placing a soft kiss on Kate's lips before catching her hand in his, lacing their fingers together.
Abby grinned widely and finally allowed her friend to pull her away, leaving the happy couple behind.
So here she is now, wondering how to tell them that she knows everything, that she figured it out and that she is extremely happy about them. She hasn't decided if she is going to tell it to Kate first and then go to Gibbs, or if she'll tell them together.
The only thing she does know is that she can't keep this to herself any longer. Two months was a very long time to keep her suspicions a secret but now that she knows with certainty she wants to talk about it!
She looks at the monitor in front of her blankly, her mind wandering, trying to find a solution to her problem. Should she just march into the bullpen and tell them that she knows everything? That would definitely catch them off guard, she thinks with a smirk, and they wouldn't be able to deny it.
But what if they don't want the whole bullpen knowing about them? Then again, how many people can be there at this hour? Maybe she should sleep on it, think about it a bit more. She sighs and drops her chin in her hands. Maybe it's time to call it a day and head home, get some rest. The idea will surely come to her if she gets some sleep.
She slowly gathers her things, switches off the lights and heads to the elevator. On her way up she decides to drop by the bullpen, say goodnight to the team if they are still there.
When the doors open she takes only a few steps before stopping dead in her tracks. She grins widely when she spots Kate and Gibbs gathering their things, ready to head home too, and she tries to hide without losing visual contact. She only hopes that they didn't hear the elevator's ding, signaling its arrival.
The two agents seem unaware that she is watching them, but with these two, and especially Gibbs, you never know. She stays as motionless as she can, not wanting to alert them that she is here, and she is watching them.
Gibbs is ready to head out but instead of heading to the elevator, he lingers back and slowly makes his way to Kate's desk, where she is putting her coat on. When she sees him waiting for her she sends a smile his way, as she buttons up, and then she grabs her purse and moves so that she is standing right in front of him.
"Ready?" he asks, looking around them, probably checking if anyone is watching them.
"Yeah… ready to go straight to bed. I'm glad we wrapped this up in one day," she replies and Gibbs mumbles something that makes her chuckle but Abby can't listen what it is.
She strains to listen but he must be whispering because no matter what Abby does she can't listen a thing they are saying. She just sees Gibbs reaching for Kate's hand as they remain close together, talking in hushed voices.
She smiles to herself as she watches them together and at that moment she decides to do nothing tonight. As quietly as she can, she gets in the elevator again and presses the button for the ground floor. Maybe she'll let them admit it in their own time. She knows what's really going on, so it's enough. For now, at least…
She'll wait a little longer before she starts grilling them about this. She's picked up some very interesting interrogation techniques from them, she has to test them out on someone.
She grins at the idea as she walks out into the cold air. That will definitely be fun.