Summary: Well, here goes nothing. My first fic posted to this site, and the first one I've managed to complete. This my little add-on to the NCIS episode Chimera, in which Gibbs' team returns to base, and Abby is happy. I don't think there's any spoilers, besides the obvious ones from Chimera. Maybe a tiny reference to Driven and the sexual harassment seminar.
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Back On Dry Land
Abby slouched in Gibbs' chair, nervously swinging it back and forth in half circles as she stared blankly around the deserted squad room. In one hand she clutched Bert the stuffed hippo, in the other a half-empty cup of coffee that Gibbs had left on his desk. It was stone cold - and the lack of sugar, artificial sweetener or fizziness was almost unbearable for Abby's Caff-Pow addicted taste buds - but she sipped it anyway, leaving a blood-red lipstick stain on the white lid.
Abby hated waiting. She was a generally impatient person, and that coupled with the fact that she'd just been told Gibbs and his team had narrowly avoided being blown up on a ghost ship (Okay, so maybe the Director hadn't mentioned the ghost part, but it sure seemed that way) had set her off into a fidgeting, worrying state.
She set Bert down on Gibbs desk and gazed into his shiny black eyes, as if willing him to say something. "I know I shouldn't be worried," she began. "They're fine. I just wish they'd hurry up and come back. What are they doing anyway? The Director said something about papers and death certificates and medical examiner stuff, so maybe Ducky got held up." She paused to gauge his reaction. Bert stared back, motionless. She blew out a sigh and continued. "They nearly got blown up on Halloween. How creepy is that? All the top-secret stuff too – Marine Biology! What does a Russian Nuclear Warhead have to do with Marine Biology?"
"A lot, apparently," a familiar voice answered.
"Gibbs!" Abby was out of the chair in seconds, sending it flying backwards into the filing cabinet. She intercepted him halfway to his desk, throwing her arms around his neck. "You're alive! Well I mean I knew you were alive, but it's Halloween and there's all this freaky ghost ship stuff and Director Shepard said you were getting attacked by pirates and Ziva kicked ass – well, one of the pirate's asses anyway – and then you stole their boat and took the warhead and then the ship blew up and -"
Gibbs held a finger to her lips, silencing her instantly. "We're fine," he assured her.
Abby nodded, stepping sideways so that Gibbs could walk to his desk. She walked over to McGee, who was standing with Ziva and Tony, the two of whom had been listening to Abby's rant with much amusement.
"You barfed, didn't you?" she asked him.
He replied with a small curt nod.
"Aww, poor Timmy!" Abby cooed, hugging him. He appreciated the gesture, and despite the downgrading feeling it gave him, he was pretty sure that hadn't been her intention.
She moved on to Tony. "I'm proud of you for carrying that rat," she told him in a motherly tone before pulling him into a bear hug. "And I'm sorry you thought you were gonna die," she added, her face becoming solemn.
Tony frowned. "Who told you that?" He looked over at Gibbs, whose expression bore a striking resemblance to a smirk. "Oh," Tony said, mentally answering his own question.
Abby grinned at Tony, the moved to stand in front of Ziva.
"Permission to hug?" she asked timidly.
Ziva allowed herself a warm smile for the other woman. "You do not need to ask, Abby."
Almost before the words had left her mouth Abby had wrapped the other woman in a tight hug. "Ghosts?" she inquired, her voice muffled by Ziva's hair. She stepped back to look at her, arms remaining firmly clamped around Ziva's.
The woman in question executed a dramatic eye roll. "In Mossad we are trained to be aware of the things that we cannot explain," she told Abby, giving her a simpler version of what she had attempted to explain to Tony.
"Sweet!" Abby's eyes lit up. Tony and McGee watched with interest from their vantage point a few feet away, both with the feeling that Abby had just gained new respect for Ziva.
"McGee!" Tony suddenly snapped, causing the younger agent to jump. "We're hungry."
McGee looked around, met with similar expressions from Abby and Ziva. Already on his way to the elevator, he sighed. "Chinese okay?"
He glanced over at Gibbs, who was casually staring at him. "And coffee," he added as the elevator doors closed in front of him.
--
Gibbs strode through the Director's door unannounced, as per usual. Cynthia's protests fell on deaf ears and she rolled her eyes, focusing a glare on the office door which had closed firmly behind him.
Jenny looked up from a pile of paperwork, observing Gibbs over the rim of her glasses with an unreadable expression as he took the seat across from her.
"Come in, Jethro. Make yourself at home," she told him, her voice laced with sarcasm.
Gibbs merely stared back in reply, with a small smile.
"You hijacked a Russian ship?" She inquired, one eyebrow raised.
"Borrowed," Gibbs corrected. "And something tells me that they ain't gonna mind much now."
Jenny removed her glasses, taking her time folding them and placing them carefully in their leather case.
Gibbs broke the somewhat awkward silence that ensued, a small smirk on his face. "You were worried."
Jenny's eyes shot up to meet his. "Wouldn't you have been?" She asked incredulously.
His amused expression remained firmly in place as he stood to leave. "Yeah," he told her, pausing in the doorway. "I would."
Jenny was left staring at the closed door, pondering the significance of their short exchange.
--
Gibbs paused on the MTAC balcony to observe his team. When they didn't know he was watching, there was a lot the boss could learn about his currently relaxed agents. Correction – When Tony and McGee didn't know he was watching. Ziva always knew, and Abby was an entirely different matter. Currently, the three agents and one Forensic Scientist were crowded around Ziva's desk, sharing out boxes of Chinese take-out. Ziva sat poised behind her desk, smiling and laughing with the others yet still on full alert and constantly monitoring her surroundings, ready to whip out her knife at a moment's notice should the need arise. Tony, on the other hand, was stretched out on his office chair with his feet up on Ziva's desk, dangerously close to her take-out noodle box. He balanced his food on his lap, occasionally dropping stray items of food onto the ground but making no effort to retrieve them. McGee perched on the opposite corner of the desk, obviously feeling the need to stay far away from the danger's of Tony's feet and Ziva's… Well, Ziva. Meanwhile, Abby had rolled Gibb's chair over to join them and wedged herself in next to Ziva, slurping her noodles in between bouts of dizziness caused by rapidly spinning the office chair in circles. Ziva chose to ignore the fact that every time Abby spun full-circle, her knees bumped into Ziva's chair and knocked her sideways.
"I can't believe you actually thought you were going to die," McGee told Tony, pleased at his uncomfortable expression but disappointed as it turned into a grin.
"I don't remember you ever catching, let alone surviving Pneumonic Plague, McSeaSick. I have rights."
Ziva smiled sympathetically at McGee. However, her smile rapidly switched to a frown as she was smacked in the hip by a flying set of knees. However patient she was, enough was enough for Ziva as she had lost count of the time's she'd been hit. She was about to say something when Abby suddenly grabbed the desk and stopped mid-spin.
"Hi Gibbs!" Abby exclaimed, saving McGee who was still stammering for a response to Tony.
Gibbs smiled, one of those saved-especially-for-Abby smiles, and quirked an eyebrow at her as he noticed his missing chair. Despite Abby's best 'innocent angel' expression, at which Gibbs couldn't help but grin, he loosely gripped her shoulders and towed her back to his desk and the rightful position of his chair. He then took her hands, pulled her up and out of the chair, placed a quick kiss on her cheek and stepped around her to sit down at his desk.
Abby, wearing a wide, somewhat goofy grin, walked around the front of his desk and sat on it, facing Tony, McGee and Ziva. She picked Bert up and cuddled him to her chest. A tapping motion on her back caused her to turn around. Gibbs was staring at her, his lipstick-stained coffee cup held up for her to see.
"Wasn't me," she told him, not bothering with the innocent act, nor the fact that nobody else in the room – and probably the entire building – wore lipstick that colour.
He held her gaze and she eventually dissolved into giggles. Gibbs gave her a strange look, shook his head and downed the rest of the coffee.
Abby, having recovered from her mild fit of insanity, turned back around to the other agents with sparkling eyes and a mischievous look upon her face. "You're all busy November seventh," she stated in a serious tone, making a point of locking eyes with all three of them.
Confused looks were exchanged. "Why?" Ziva finally asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
Abby's response was simple. "Brain Matter."
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A/N: Voila. There it is. I hope you enjoyed it! Please review, as this is my first completed NCIS fic and I'd love to know what you thought. You know that little lavender-ish button is calling you!