Abby had just arrived at work when she heard the elevator coming down. "This is a DNA sample from the friend whose wife had an affair with the Corporal, and here's one from the Corporal's wife." Gibbs said, walking into the forensics lab. "See if they match any of the hair we found at the crime scene."
"I know what to do with DNA, Gibbs," Abby replied. She held out her hand expectantly. "Gibbs, you ever feel like you're missing something, like you should have something, but you don't?" He handed her a Caf-Pow and half-smiled. "I need those results by eleven hundred hours so we can do interrogations today, Abby." he continued, walking away. "And clean out those drawers when you have the time! You should be able to shut them." he shouted from the elevator as it closed. "On it, Boss! I'll do my best!" she responded in a faux-soldier voice to no one in particular.
Sipping her Caf-Pow, she glanced at the overflowing drawers. They hadn't been organized in years; there were documents, scrubs, various collars and hair baubles sticking out, and enough broken tech junk to construct a robot army, albeit one that ran on Windows 98. She sorted through the drawers, throwing most of the mess out, when she came across a framed picture of Kate. Suddenly, the caffeine-induced joy was stricken from her face. Taking the picture in her hands, she sat on the floor, placed her head in her lap and began to weep quietly. The picture seemed so fake, so lifeless, driving home that she was only a memory now. It was like looking at a plastic version of the Hope Diamond if it had been destroyed. It didn't do her justice, but it was the last reminder of something beautiful. It had been a long time since she had cried about Kate, maybe even more than a year. She had gotten to the point where she remembered her fondly, but was at peace knowing Kate was at peace. She didn't hurt anymore, she wasn't burdened by worldly things, didn't have to listen to Tony ramble about movies- yes, in death, there is peace, and there are no Top Gun references. Abby laughed at that thought, it reminded her of something Kate would say. She imagined what Kate would say seeing her in this state. "You don't have to cry any more, Abby. I'm okay. But you're not. I want you to be happy. Don't let my death hold you back from that. And don't be afraid to find someone else." Abby had stopped crying. She looked up. How long had she been sitting there? It was 11:23. Oh, crap, Gibbs is gonna be pissed! She stood up and nearly smacked right into someone- Ziva.
"How long have you been standing there?" Abby said indignantly, feeling slightly embarrassed. The Israeli sometimes reminded her of Kate, they both hid their feelings- Kate with sarcasm, and Ziva with stoicism that seemed so real sometimes Abby wasn't sure she had feelings. She chased the thought away. Ziva was... nice, but she would never replace Kate. She would never be Kate. But was that fair to say? Kate didn't need replacing, and Ziva wasn't trying to replace her... Abby stood in deep thought, waiting for her response. "Only a minute or so," Ziva replied in a softer voice than usual. "I said your name several times but you did not respond." she furrowed her brow. "Are you all correct?"
"Actually, it's 'all right', unless you were going to say 'OK', which actually stands for 'all correct' because of a trend in Boston and New York in the mid 1800s to abbreviate common phrases using misspellings-"
"Abby. Quit beating off the bush." Abby interrupted Ziva with a snicker. "What, is that wrong too?"
"Yeah. It's 'beating around the bush'. Beating off is... erm... never mind, it's not important. But in answer to your question, I'm fine now."
"She was more than a friend to you." Ziva said matter-of-factly, glancing at the picture of Kate. She looked at Abby, waiting for confirmation. "You know, Ziva, usually when people want answers, they ask questions. Stating something usually means you already know it as a fact."
"I do know it as a fact. I know none of the others do, and I know you can't talk to any of them about it. If you need someone to talk to... I am here." She nodded, expecting Abby to decline.
"You didn't know Kate. You don't know what losing her was like." A glare from Ziva made Abby realize she should think before she speaks. Ziva turned to walk away, looking hurt. "I'm sorry, Zi, I didn't mean it like that- I know you know what it's like to lose someone, probably a bajillion times more than I do, it's just-" Ziva turned around to face her; the shorter woman stood only millimeters from Abby, looking up into her now smudgily-lined green eyes. There was something about the goth's eyes that captured her, even now as they were glassy from sleep deprivation and filled with tears. There was emotion in them, depth- Ziva envied the fact that the forensic scientist could be so open about her emotions, and yet still seem strong and mysterious. The look on the Israeli's face softened to a sympathetic smile.
"It's just what, Abigail?" The use of her full name caught Abby off guard. No one but Ducky called her that, and she usually didn't like it when anyone but Ducky did- but there was so much sexuality in Ziva's voice, hell, she could call her Buttface McStinkyfeet and it would still be a turn-on. Regaining her focus, she realized she was an infinitesimal amount of space away from kissing Ziva. She blushed as she continued to speak. "Sometimes, when you hurt really bad, you forget that other people hurt too, you know? I guess that's why I've treated you so badly." She smiled awkwardly. Ziva smiled back and wrapped her arms around Abby, not only to comfort the goth, but also to confirm that the unfortunate circumstance of their introduction was finally insignificant to their relationship, as were the actions of Ziva's relatives, and she had shown Abby she was not a stone-hearted, cold-blooded killer. She held the pigtailed woman tightly, letting Abby rest her head on her strong shoulder, and rubbed her back comfortingly.
"So, I assume you came down here for some reason other than to be my therapist?" Abby said, pulling away from Ziva, ready to return to work but wishing she could stay wrapped in her strong arms. "Gibbs needed the results for that DNA test, yes?" Before today, Abby had thought the Israeli's quirky speech was annoying, but now it was cute. "The hair you found belongs to the Corporal's wife. Tony's gonna say he told you so." Abby remarked. "Actually, I was the one who thought there was something... hinky about her." Ziva smirked victoriously as the elevator door closed, knowing she was finally on the good side... of Abby's bed? Was that how the idiom went? No, that hadn't happened yet.