Worth Fighting For

Rating: Eventually M

Pairing: Gibbs/Abby

Disclaimer: None of the NCIS characters or anything related is mine. This is just for fun.

A/N: Gotta give big hugs to gosgirl for the masses of help in the form of encouragement, ideas, bunnies and other various candies.

Chapter 1

It was 6am when Abby heard the gentler than usual tap from Gibbs when he knocked on her front door. He had a key for both the main door downstairs and the door to her apartment and had obviously used the one for downstairs, not wanting her to get up off the couch until she had to. Sleepily she dragged herself to the door and opened it to find Gibbs, looking relaxed and much more awake than was normal for anybody at that time of morning.

"Remind me why we're going this early again?" she grumbled, letting him in.

"Gotta beat the traffic Abbs, it'll take a couple of hours to get there. Want to get you out of the city and to the cabin so you can start to relax."

Abby had been sick with a particularly bad strain of the flu for almost two weeks and Ducky had insisted she take some time off since the pressure she was under at work was keeping her from fully recovering. The sneezing and coughing had subsided but she was still feeling drained and not her usual bubbly self. When Gibbs had said he was taking Friday to Monday off work to fix an old marine buddy's cabin on the coast, Abby had somehow found herself joining him thanks to Ducky. The doctor's not so subtle hint of how the fresh air and break would be just what she needed soon had Gibbs ordering her to go with him.

Not that Abby minded going with him, in fact it was the exact opposite. She loved spending every moment she could with Gibbs but she didn't want to get in the way if he was going to be working on the cabin. The thought of watching him use his hands for hours on end excited her beyond what could be considered normal for friendship, but then she knew he was more than a friend. To Abby at least, what they had was more than friendship. As hard as she'd tried to ignore it and as much as she did everything she could to overcome it, she was in love with Gibbs and her heart and body refused to accept otherwise.

It had been a slow and painful journey coming to terms with what she felt for him and knowing that there was no chance that he'd ever feel the same. So she loved him from a distance, grateful that he was in her life, even if it wasn't how she wanted. Every now and then she would get the feeling that Gibbs cared about her more than he let on, but she would force herself to push it out of her mind. Abby tried to commit to memory every kiss and every hug he gave her; accepting that would be as far as their physical contact would ever go. The sweetness of every touch and every smile he gave her the highlight of her days, and the last thing she fell asleep thinking of.

Picking up the two bags she had beside the door, Gibbs grunted slightly at the weight in them. "You know we're only staying three nights right?"

"Yes, Gibbs," Abby rolled her eyes, "but my body temperature is still a little all over the place, so I need clothes depending on if I'm hot or cold."

He nodded and took the few steps out of her apartment, standing and waiting for her to close and lock the door. Holding onto a smaller bag Abby locked the door and walked down the stairs ahead of him.

"I had to bring the truck to fit all the tools and supplies in," he told her, "but I put a blanket and pillow up front to keep you comfortable, and we can stop whenever you need to."

Abby smiled. He'd always taken care of her and it was part of what she loved about him; Gibbs seem to know exactly what she needed, sometimes even before she did. The things that on the surface appeared to be minor to him were in her eyes one of the main reasons she was drawn to him. It was almost like a natural instinct in him to make sure she was okay, and it was an instinct at times she thought felt like that of a partner.

Gibbs dropped the bags beside the truck and opened the door for her. Abby instantly noticed the caf-pow and two coffee cups sitting on the middle of the seat. "Didn't think you'd be able to survive without it, though you'll have to substitute coffee for a couple of days," he said indicating the caf-pow. "And there's some lemon tea with honey in it. Got some muffins too."

Sitting down in the passenger seat Abby looked up at Gibbs tenderly; even before he'd picked her up he was thinking about her. The corner of his lips twitched in response to her gaze, a rare boyish shyness flickering across his face as he averted his eyes.

Abby figured the large cup next to hers was Gibbs' coffee since there was no way he'd go anywhere without his morning fix. Shifting the blanket and pillow from underneath her Abby clutched them to her chest and instantly inhaled his scent on them. She knew they would be clean, but his essence had still permeated into the material leaving her feeling even more light-headed than she already was.

Once they were on the road Abby put the pillow behind her head and turned her body sideways to nuzzle her face against it. If Gibbs hadn't been sitting beside her she would've buried her nose deep into its softness and breathed in for as long as her lungs allowed, just to feel like she had some part of him running through her. She watched him as he concentrated on the road, her lips forming into a weak smile when he turned to her.

"Close your eyes Abbs, get some rest," he said softly, reaching out to graze his fingers lightly down her cheek. The roughness of his thumb as it moved gently back and forth over her chin sent tiny jolts of electricity through her body, causing her pulse to race. Gibbs held her gaze for as long as he could before having to turn his attention back to the road, but his fingers remained on her skin. When he looked back to her again Abby saw an unguarded intensity in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something but at the last minute changed his mind, the sudden pained expression in his eyes worrying her.

Abby hoped her presence and the thought of spending all weekend with her wasn't making him uncomfortable. The last thing she wanted was to intrude on his personal time; she didn't want him to resent her being there when he was meant to have been going on his own. The fact that Gibbs had been eager to have her come with him when Ducky had suggested it gave her some comfort, but she just hoped he hadn't changed his mind.

With her thoughts swirling Abby's heavy eyes drifted shut against her will, due as much to Gibbs' touch as her sleepiness. She let the blanket unravel on her lap and then held it over her stomach. She didn't really feel cold; it was more for the benefit of feeling like Gibbs was wrapped around her as well as next to her. Sleep claimed her in a matter of minutes, the motion of the truck combined with her not being fully recovered from her illness, and the safety of knowing Gibbs was so close letting her body start to relax and heal.

Abby woke to the feeling of a warm hand enclosed over hers and she sighed when she realized it belonged to Gibbs. "Guess I might've been a little tired," she mumbled, trying to open her eyes and break through the haze.

"I'd say from the snoring, you were more than a little tired."

Her eyes flew open. "I do not snore, Gibbs."

He turned and grinned at her and Abby immediately found herself fully awake, the restrained laughter in his eyes making her stomach flip.

"We're almost there," he said, changing the subject. "You need anything before we head a little off-road?"

Abby didn't realize how long she'd been asleep; the sun now shone brightly, a few fluffy clouds interspaced among the light blue sky. Gibbs' anguish seemed to have relaxed slightly and when she wound down the window she could smell the ocean on the warm breeze. Maybe Ducky was right; this could be exactly what she needed. "Nope," she answered, "everything I need is right here."

After navigating the gravel road that led down to the cabin they finally arrived at the secluded alcove where they would be staying for the next four days. Abby's bottom jaw dropped. Nestled back from the clear blue water and fine white sand was a small cabin surrounded by thick vegetation. She could see some of the front porch of the cabin had been damaged and assumed that was what Gibbs was here to fix, but otherwise it was pristine.

Parking the truck out the front of the cabin Gibbs turned off the ignition and got out, stretching his legs as he walked around to open the door for Abby. She took in his appearance unashamedly. Due to her being half asleep when he'd picked her up, it had been difficult enough for her to put one foot in front of the other and she had clearly missed just how good he looked.

The black hoodie he wore hugged his waist and chest and showed off the toned lines of his shoulders and arms. She liked how it was tighter fitting than the clothes he usually wore, his solid figure easier for her to study and appreciate. He'd protected and calmed her numerous times with those arms and held her within the strength of his chest and shoulders. Gibbs' presence alone was enough to make her start to feel better. He was like her own special blend of medicine and she had no doubt after spending a few days alone with him she'd be back to her usual self.

When Gibbs reached her door and opened it she got a closer look at the bottom half of him. Sitting in the car beside him, she hadn't failed to notice how his thighs and knees fit out his pants. She had been able to see the outline of his muscles which were covered by the khaki material and the snug fit gave her imagination enough to form a picture in her mind of what lay underneath. Abby knew of no other man that could heat her entire body simply because of the clothes he wore.

She got out of the truck and Gibbs closed the door, taking a few steps towards the cabin then turning to look out at the ocean. Abby walked up behind him and tentatively grasped the sides of his hoodie within her fingers. Resting her head sideways against the back of his neck she breathed in deeply and closed her eyes. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"Glad you came, Abbs."

He placed his hands over the top of hers, keeping one within his hold as he linked their fingers and led her to the cabin. With each step Gibbs watched to make sure she wasn't going to trip on the few bits of fallen debris, kicking things out of the way to clear a path for her. Off to the side of the cabin there was a stack of thin wood lengths, along with a box, that she assumed were for Gibbs to use.

"What happened?" Abby asked, noticing that not only half the porch was missing but as a result there was no steps leading to the front door. The far end looked untouched where a long hammock hung between two posts and a wood outdoor setting was pushed up against the front of the cabin.

"That bad storm we had at home about a month ago, we only got a small dose of what came through here, a tree came down and took all this out."

Gibbs let go of her hand, and fished the key to the cabin out of his pocket. Looking around he found an old wooden crate to use as a temporary step to bridge the gap up to the door, and grabbing hold of the side of the cabin he hoisted himself up. Due to his position above her, Abby now had a perfect vantage point to stare at his butt. She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from groaning but couldn't look away from the perfectly clad piece of flesh in front of her. His khaki pants showed off the rounded curves of his buttocks, leaving little to her imagination. Her first impulse was to cover the firm globes with her hands but she pushed the urge away. If she couldn't control her hormones this early on in their trip every day was only going to get more difficult. She was meant to be relaxing but if her heart rate was going to be this elevated all the time, let alone thinking about what she wanted to do with him, she was going to have a considerable amount of trouble getting any rest.

Ducky had given her a couple of vitamin booster shots the previous day and she was starting to wonder if that's all they had been because she couldn't think straight. She had also consumed a considerable amount of cough suppressant with codeine in it over the last week to try and stop her coughing. Abby questioned if perhaps the combination of the two was to blame for her current state of delirium; every little thing Gibbs did made her want to throw herself at him. She had done things outside of work with him before, but this was different. Abby didn't know whether it was because she had him to herself for the next few days but the emotions she had been able to contain up until now, even through being sick, felt like they were beginning to come undone.

TBC...