Title: Expectations
Author: KouenTaisa
Rating: K
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs, Gibbs/Mann
Status: Complete
Category: Romance/Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship
Spoilers: Kill Ari, Twilight, SWAK, random s4/5
Summary: He doesn't realize that he has been unconsciously waiting for her until the sound of heavy footsteps overhead reaches his ears.
A/N: This was something I started before Beside You, and I really didn't know how to tie it up, but I think the ending is alright. I'm writing this to gear myself up for the end of season 2, because even though I write about the later seasons, yeah, I really haven't seen them. The title was randomly Basement Talk on my computer, but... this seemed a tad better. So Enjoy.

He doesn't realize that he has been unconsciously waiting for her until the sound of heavy footsteps overhead reaches his ears. Relaxing, he continues to stay focused on the task at hand while listening to the sound of her boots as she hesitantly descends the stairs into his basement. For some reason he feels nervous when he can no longer hear the sound of her boots and he fights the urge to look up. Silence reigns for a moment, neither of them wanting to speak first.

Eventually, she does.

"I didn't know if it was okay." her voice is soft. Unsure.

Gibbs doesn't look up at her, and instead he keeps his eyes focused on the piece of wood that he is currently sanding. Abby has never been so hesitant around him and it would almost be annoying, except for the fact that she is his Abby, and he knows why she isn't acting like herself.

He can feel her eyes on his back, and the temptation to tease her rises, but then disappears just as fast. He doesn't really have the right to do so at the moment, and he's pretty sure that she wouldn't appreciate it either way. At least not right now. Before the silence can become awkward, he hears her clear a few more steps, but she's not quite at the bottom yet.

"I just thought you might have company," she offers by way of explanation. Ever since he started seeing Hollis Man, Abby has become distant. It's not something he notices so easily at work, but when he leaves the Navy Yard it is one of the first things on his mind. Over the years, she has dropped by for many late night visits and the occasional sleep over. She likes to help him work on his boat, and he doesn't mind. Abby's always had a way of making him smile and relax, and it's something that has been missing from the picture for a little awhile now.

Shifting, he glances over at her for a moment before looking away. She's not dressed in the clothes that she had on earlier. Instead, she's wearing a red hoodie and jogging pants to ward off the cold that always seems to settle in his basement. She looks good, though, and it's that thought that ends up crossing his mind when he says something again.

"Door's still open, Abs."

Hearing her clear the last of the basement stairs, Gibbs finally turns to look at her. Her hair is no longer pinned up and it hangs loosely to frame her face. He also notices the subdued expression on her face, and it reminds him of the reason he was in the basement to begin with. Before he can turn away, however, she holds up two bottles for him to see in the dim lighting.

Vodka and Bourbon.

Looking from the bottles to Abby, he tilts his head to the side, barely noticeable, but it happens and she catches it. Instead of the small smile he has become accustomed to, she offers him a slight shoulder shrug before moving deeper into his safe haven. He watches intently as she grabs two coffee mugs from a shelf over his desk, pouring one full of vodka and the other full of bourbon.

Gibbs doesn't have to ask. He has been waiting for her since he pulled up in his drive way a few hours ago. She always comes and he never mentions it. The date will always be fresh in his mind, and he's certain that the same can be said for her. Reaching out, he takes the offered mug, his fingers brushing against hers casually. She doesn't pull away, but he can sense the tension in her body and it worries him. Abby has never shied away from his touches, but it's all she can seem to do when no one else is around.

He opens his mouth to comment, but is cut off when he sees the look in her green eyes. A dull ache blossoms in his chest, and he remembers once again why she is here tonight. Observing as she raises her coffee mug to his, Gibbs locks his blue eyes with her green ones, wishing that he could change what had happened back then, but he can't, and he knows it. She knows it too. Knows that he is thinking about it, and instead of letting him dwell in his dark thoughts, she breaks the silence with her soft declaration.

"To Kate."

A few seconds pass before he raises his coffee mug to hers, the soft sound of the two colliding gently is drowned out by his gruff words.

"To Kate."

They drink well into the night, sharing stories about Special Agent Kate Todd. They both relive memories and more than once Abby finds herself on the verge of tears, only for Gibbs to say something that makes her laugh instead of cry. They lean against his boat, the wood digging into their backs, but neither make a move to get up because all that they need is right there.

Booze.

Memories.

Them.

Halfway through the bottle of vodka, Abby starts giggling and falls over against his side. He doesn't protest, and instead moves to wrap his arm around her shoulder as he glances over at her.
"Had enough, Abs?"

Still giggling, she presses her face against his side, shaking her head a little. She doesn't always hold her liquor well and it's something that Gibbs knows from experience. He's willing to indulge her tonight, and he's glad that he turned down all other offers for company. There's no one he'd rather have at his side, and he's pretty sure that she understands that on some level.

"Oh, Gibbs. You're funny, you know that?" she teases, her voice slurring just a tad before she breaks out into another fit of giggles. All he can do is smile down at her, enjoying the camaraderie that he has missed. Closing his eyes, he lets his head rest back against the hull of his boat while she continues to press her face against his shoulder. Silence engulfs them, but it's not awkward. He listens to each breath she takes, smiling to himself when he realizes that they match each of his perfectly. She pulls her face away from his shoulder after some time, but he doesn't move his arm from around her body and she doesn't try to get away.

"Gibbs?"

"Yeah, Abs?"

He doesn't open his eyes, but he can still feel her fidgeting at his side. Gibbs waits for a moment, wondering what's made her so nervous all of a sudden. Abby is usually a person who speaks her mind and only cuts herself short when he intervenes with her name. He knows she gets nervous, usually when someone is in danger or she's worried at the prospect of upsetting him, but neither of those really seem applicable to the moment. After a moment he opens his eyes, glancing over at her, taking in the nervous way that her fingers are flying through signs too fast for him to read.

"Something wrong, Abby?" he finally asks, shifting so that he can better look down at her. She glances up, something unfamiliar in her green eyes that makes his chest tighten in response. Unconsciously, his thumb runs back and forth along her shoulder as he stares down at her. Waiting. He may be an impatient man, but with the woman at his side the rules are a little different. One thing he has learned after all of these years is that you can't rush science, which means you can't rush Abby.

"I was just remembering something Kate told me. Do you remember when Tony was sick?" her voice was soft, almost vulnerable. Gibbs nodded his head, knowing that was something he'd never forget. He heard rumors that the only reason DiNozzo had survived was because he'd ordered him to live, but he knew better. Tony was a strong kid, even if he acted like a complete idiot sometimes. He was a fighter, and that's one reason Gibbs had never let him go.

"I remember."

Abby looked away for a moment, nodding to herself as she stared at his desk just opposite of them. She took a moment, studying the tools and papers that she could see before she took a deep breath. It's now or never, Sciuto. Just say it.

"She told me… that she would have never lived with herself if he'd died, because she had never told him how she really felt… and then she died."

Closing her eyes, she could remember the funeral and the jazz music and having Gibbs walk beside her, but it wasn't all that she remembered. She thought about Chip, Mikel Mawher, and Gibbs' leaving for Mexico. The latter had left a huge hole in her heart that hadn't really been fixed until he came back and she knew he was safe, because he was right there with her. Reaching out, she grabbed the bottle of Vodka, but his warm hand around hers stopped from her getting another drink.

"There a point to this, Abs?"

Nodding, she held the bottle tightly as she stared down at their hands. Now or never, and she really didn't want to consider it being never.

"I love you, Gibbs- and I don't mean as in I love you like I love Tony or Tim or Ziva. I mean I love you as in I love, love you. As in, I'm in love with you, Gibbs-"

The unexpected feel of his finger pressing against her lips caused her to stop. Taking a chance, she looked over at Gibbs, feeling her heart stop at the intensity of his blue eyes staring at her. He pulled his finger away and for a moment, Abby was certain that he was going to tell her to leave. It would be hard, but at least she would've told him how she felt. However, he made no move to speak, instead he just kept staring and it felt like he a burning a hole through her body with just how hard he was staring.

"… you're kind of scaring me, Gibbs." she whispered softly, wondering if she should just get up and go. Before she could even think of how to excuse herself, the expression on his face shifted and Abby barely registered the quirk of his lips into a half smile before he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Closing her eyes, she felt his hand on the back of her neck. He gave it a light squeeze, reassuring her without words. Gibbs moved away from her completely after a moment, and she heard him stand up before she opened her eyes.

"Gibbs?"

His back was already turned to her as he picked up their mugs and the bottles of liquor that she had brought.

"Getting late, Abby. Guest bed's already made up."

She started to get up without a word, realizing that the conversation was done for now. Trying to push him into talking would only made him angry, and she wasn't really sober enough to deal with a moody Gibbs. Dusting the sawdust off her clothes as best she could, Abby offered her silver haired fox a smile before she turned to head toward the stairs leading from the basement to the living room. She made it halfway up before his voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Abby."

Pausing, she turned partially to look over at his desk where he was standing. The intense look was back in his blue eyes, and she wasn't really sure as to what that meant. Not really. Waiting, she felt herself become anxious when he didn't automatically say something, but she shouldn't have worried. It was Gibbs, after all.

"I have an errand to run, so don't wait up."

The sentence was cryptic at best, but Abby just nodded and smiled, heading up the stairs without a single word. It took an hour before she was lying down in the guest bedroom, and she had heard the front door open and close about thirty minutes in. Curling up, she tried to wait for the sound of Gibbs' return, but slowly ended up drifting off to sleep instead.

A few hours later, Abby awoke to the smell of sawdust and the feel of an arm tugging her back against a firm chest. Still half asleep, she moved her fingers to lace with those resting on her stomach, immediately feeling safe and happy. A gentle kiss against the back of her neck caused her to smile and she tightened her fingers around his for a moment.

"Night Gibbs," she mumbled softly, curling into his body as she let herself relax again.

There was a small pause, but she could hear the smile in his voice when he finally spoke, his voice soft and low, creating a warmth to spread out through her body that had nothing to do with the comforter.

"Night, Abs."

Still smiling, she buried her face into her pillow as she started to drift off once again. Even though he hadn't said I love you back, she didn't need him to, because if there was one thing Gibbs was good at, it was saying a whole lot without really saying anything at all.