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Gibbs came through the back door when he got home, letting himself in while scanning the mail he'd retrieved from the box. He heard the television and cut through to the living room. Abby was seated crosslegged on the couch, painting her fingernails a particularly shiny shade of black.

"Hey, Bossman- I put on the roast like you said at three hundred fifty degrees." She smiled and he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Where's your phone?" he asked, looking around the immediate area.

"On the foyer table- I haven't charged it yet, why?"

He didn't answer but exchanged the mail for her phone on the foyer table, then walked back into the living room, holding it up for her to see. "This phone is now my personal property."

"Wait- what are you talking about? What did I do?" Abby immediately set the polish down and started furiously blowing on her nails to dry them. "What do you mean it's yours? Gibbs, tell me you're joking!"

He cut the phone off and closed it. "I do not joke. The phone is mine, because you and I have had numerous conversations, Abby, in which I have told you explicitly that I had better never hear of you texting on the phone while you were driving. Remember those little chitchats?"

"I didn't text! When was this supposed to have occurred? Who even said that I was doing that? I bet it was Tony- he's just mad 'cause I got him in trouble the other day."

"Actually, it wasn't Tony."

"Then it must be Timmy or Ziva trying to get me in trouble! Why would I be texting and driving?"

Gibbs didn't answer, but pocketed the phone and headed into the kitchen to finish the supper preparations. He wouldn't dream of telling her his source. Abby wailed from the living room, "Gibbs, please, you know I love that phone! How am I supposed to communicate with everyone? I haven't been doing anything wrong."

When he didn't respond she came to join him to plead her case in person. Pulling out plates and silverware to set the table, she began wheedling, "Really, I would never do something you told me not to do, especially when it's a safety issue. I know better than that." Then changing to an upbeat tone she added, "obviously, someone has confused me with Tony. He's always getting in trouble for ignoring instructions."

Gibbs stopped chopping salad vegetables and turned towards her, leaning against the counter. "Look at me, Abby," he ordered. She obeyed instantly and he said, "I want you to tell me right now that the information I have is wrong, that you have absolutely not been texting while driving, and that you are now telling me the truth. As soon as you do that, I will hand back that phone to you gladly."

For several inviting seconds Abby considered lying- she genuinely didn't know how she could manage without the cell phone, but then common sense made an appearance. She really, really didn't want to get into further trouble by lying to Gibbs. She had done that before, and the consequences hadn't been pretty. In addition, Gibbs had an astounding- almost psychic- way of figuring out when someone was lying to him.

Gibbs watched her struggle with the truth, and waited patiently. His main concern right then was the obvious safety issue, but dishonesty might turn into a subtext of the confrontation, and if it did, he'd deal with that as well.

A range of emotions played across Abby's face. Finally crossing her arms around her chest as dramatically as she could, she asked with a sulk, "How long am I restricted from my phone?"

"Six weeks, and then I will only allow you to have it at work- not anywhere else, until I am convinced you understand that texting and driving are dangerous for you."

Abby launched into meltdown mode and wailed loudly. "No, that is so not fair! How am I going to do without my phone for that long? That's over a month, Gibbs. This whole taking the phone is wrong, especially for months and months, and you're just being mean and unfair!"