Title- Home Sweet Home

Complete

Author- PTBvisiongrrl

Part- 1/1

Date- 6/28/11

Rating – T

Pairings/Characters- Gabby

Warnings- mature themes, language

Spoilers- None.

Disclaimers- Unfortunately, I don't own any of these characters, and make absolutely no profit from taking them out to play…

Author's Note: A one-shot, exploring interaction between a non-shippy Abby and Gibbs. Just trying it on for size. Critiques are always appreciated.

Abby met Gibbs at her apartment door. "Hey, Jefe!" A quick but heartfelt hug, and she was taking his jacket and leading him to the dinner table wedged into her small eat-in kitchen. "Thanks for coming over."

"No problem. I'm always free if you're cooking, Abs." Gibbs raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the set table. "Although, in all the times I've eaten over, I've never seen you set the table quite this fancy."

"Special occasion," Abby said shortly, pursing her lips and shrugging.

"And that is?" Gibbs sat down, unfolding the cloth napkin from its swan-like appearance on his fine china plate before placing it on his lap. "I mean, this is fancier than my third proposal."

"And that might be why you have three exes," Abby joked back. She opened the stove, grabbing some mitts, and removed a steaming tray of stuffed shells. Placing it on a trivet on the table, she turned back to remove another tray laden with thick and buttery cuts of garlic bread. Balancing two wine glasses and a bottle of red that she had left open to breathe earlier, Abby joined Gibbs at the table.

Taking the proffered serving utensils, Gibbs dished out large portions of pasta and bread for each of them as Abby poured the wine. Cutting up his food, allowing it to cool, Gibbs studied Abby. "What is it, Abs? You aren't pregnant or something, are you? 'Cause I'll kill McGee."

Abby laughed, mouth full of food, and almost choked. "Oh, god, no, Gibbs. And if it I was, it wouldn't be McGee!"

"Good," Gibbs muttered, his stomach settling a little. Abby's lack of explanation for the sudden dinner invitation had been making him nervous. A sudden thought hit him, though. "You aren't leaving to work for the FBI, are you?"

Abby was prepared this time, and simply gave a very un-lady like snort. "No. I'm not. I take it you are wondering why I invited you over tonight?"

"Yeah," Gibbs answered. Abby's cooking skills were currently wasted on him, as he was too busy wondering and worrying about her.

"I need your advice." The statement did nothing to settle Gibbs's stomach.

"On?" he asked, laying his fork beside his plate and leaning his forearms on the table.

Abby played with the garlic bread on her plate absent mindedly, tearing it into smaller pieces and then tearing those into smaller ones in turn. "I think its time I started acting like a grown up. I'm not saying I'm going to start dressing all, y'know, normal and stop hanging out at clubs and crap. But stop living like the future is always just 'out there'." She went silent. "I mean, I know its not, but sometimes it doesn't seem like I do."

Gibbs cut her off, in an attempt to stop his mind from spiraling off into directions he'd rather it not go. "Abs," he stated, terse and impatient, as if she was merely on a side tangent in her lab.

"I'm going to buy a house, Gibbs." Abby stated it firmly, as if hearing it out loud had strengthened her resolve.

Picking up his fork, Gibbs let out an internal sigh of relief. A big deal for her, yes, but not something to shatter his world. "Good idea. Perfect time to buy. Nothing moving, buyer's market."

Abby lit up like a Christmas tree. "That's what I was thinking. I mean, I don't really need much more space than I have, but why throw money away on rent when I can actually own something, right?"

"Find the house yet?" Gibbs asked, chewing.

"No," Abby answered with her usual enthusiasm. "Well, not exactly. I looked a little, and found a couple that I really liked. But if I'm going to afford them by myself, they are going to need work. So, I was wondering if you would come look at them with me and give me your opinion."

Abby looked nervous. "This was what dinner was about?" Gibbs chuckled. This could have been something much worse, judging from the amount of silver on the table. "You didn't have to bribe me for that, just ask."

"Thank you, Gibbs!" Abby jumped up, rounded the table, and hugged the stuffing out of him before he knew what was going on. "I appreciate it so much. I mean, I know how to do wiring and paint and stuff, but I've never done much carpentry or such, and I knew you would know much more about it than me. And the one house totally needs some walls ripped out and a new kitchen-"

"Whoa, there, Abs. I can build a boat, but I've never really ripped walls out of a house—" Gibbs sipped his wine.

"I'm sure building a boat is way more complicated than smashing a wall," Aby interrupted. "Its just, if I buy a house, I want it to be really mine, I want to redo the whole damn thing to suit me. I just need to make sure I'm starting out sound, y'know?"

Gibbs nodded. "Why not buy new?"

Abby gave him a look of complete disbelief. "Gibbs. Do I look like a subdivision type of girl?"

He laughed. "No, no you don't. So where are these houses you liked so much?" He continued to eat as she talked about the one in .

"But that's not the one I liked the most." Abby paused, and he picked up on uncertainty in her voice.

"What one did you like the most?" he asked.

"Ah, you know your neighbors, the Peterson's?" Abby shoved a big piece of shell into her mouth to avoid saying anything else just yet.

"You wanna move in across the street from me?" Gibbs asked, eyebrow raised. He knew the house; he'd been in more than once, back when he had a wife who made him observe neighborhood niceties. It wasn't a bad house, but definitely could use some remodeling. Bob had passed away of a heart attack a year or so ago; Janet wasn't up to handling the property on her own. They had been an older couple way back when he and Shannon had first moved in.

"The real estate agent just took me around one afternoon, after I told her what I was looking for. I didn't even know we were going to be in your neighborhood, much less across the street." Abby continued to eat. "Would you mind having me as a neighbor?"

"Not as long as you soundproof whatever room you put your stereo in," Gibbs shrugged. It would be nice to know the new neighbors would be good people; living across the street from Abby might be an interesting experience, but he wouldn't turn down an opportunity to keep her close to him and safe. If she lived there, he could keep an eye on her, make sure there were no more Mikel Mahwers.

"Awesome." Abby clapped and jumped up and down in her seat. "Wanna go look with me tomorrow night after work?"

"Sure, Abs," Gibbs finished his plate, sitting back to enjoy the wine while he listening to Abby chatter on about what she wanted to do to the Peterson's.