Author's note: This occurred to me after watching 'Dead Reflection'. That little smile that Abby had when she realised McGee was jealous just wouldn't leave me alone.
As always, thanks goes to Trina109 for betareading for me.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters etc etc.
She'd accused him of being jealous.
And he couldn't deny it. He was jealous. The appearance of Agent Barrett had been unsettling, but it was the appearance of the rest of her team that was really getting under his skin. Especially Cade.
They all had skills, attributes that made them valuable to Gibbs and valuable to the team. Tony had his investigative skills and the ability to charm information out of the most unlikely people. Ziva had her Mossad training, which had imparted what Tony called her ninja skills. And he had his intelligence and his technological leanings.
Now with Cade around, he wasn't the smartest kid on the block anymore. Which left him feeling... inadequate.
But it wasn't the inadequacy that made him jealous. It was the ease with which Cade had charmed his way into Abby's circle.
He'd gotten stuck in his role as Abby's best friend, and he wasn't sure that that's what he wanted to remain. But he didn't know what she wanted, and he wasn't sure that she knew either. Only one thing gave him any hope. Her smile said it all.
She liked that she'd made him jealous.