Quick AN: This didn't just come out of nowhere. I've been following the NCISers on Twitter, and something that a_sciuto said to Gibbs made me think of all this. This story will make the most sense if you head over and read their tweets from June 13-17th, 2009. *smile*
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"Gibbs, Gibbs!"
He knew the voice anywhere—and that included in this very crowded, chaotic airport. He turned around and instantly spotted his forensic scientist running toward him. She was clad in her usual garb, though, he noted, she had opted for what appeared to be simple black sneakers as opposed to her signature boots. Why he'd noticed that, he'd never figure out.
"Welcome back, Abbs," he barely managed before she was launching herself at him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "How's your brother doing?"
One more tight squeeze, and Abby finally disentangled herself from him. "He's okay, considering. I left before anyone told Mom about the other driver—I definitely didn't want to be around for her wrath."
Abby had been in New Orleans, visiting her younger brother in the hospital. He'd been in a collision several days before: hit by a drunk driver at two in the afternoon. Abby had been handling it surprisingly well, despite the fact that the other driver apparently hadn't even received a scratch. She pushed away a few strands of hair that had apparently escaped today's low ponytails during the flight, and picked up her bag from where she'd dropped it. They began walking toward an exit with their hands almost brushing every once in a while. To an outsider, they may have looked like a protective, distinguished father meeting his rebellious but much-adored daughter—or maybe like some kind of unconventional couple meeting again after a long absence. Abby seemed wholly unaware of some of the looks they were getting as they passed through crowds of people, but Gibbs took notice of every set of eyes that landed upon her, and therefore slipped one arm around her, to rest in the small of her back. If questioned, he would dismiss it as nothing: just making sure she didn't get lost or pushed away, but even to an uninformed and unbiased observer, it seemed more possessive than protective.
They headed for his car, where she tossed her bag into the back and strapped herself into the passenger seat. Abby rarely said a word about his driving, and he never caught her clutching anything with white knuckles the way that Diane had. Instead, she spent nearly the entire ride telling him about her aunts and uncles, and her brother and her brother's doctors and the soap opera that her aunt insisted on watching and—oh yeah, how there was not a single Caf-Pow for miles around the hospital where she was staying. He nodded where appropriate, but mostly let her go on. It was what they did best, after all—she filled the long silences in his head, and he gave her an audience.
***
The next morning, Gibbs headed to Abby's lab bright and early, with a jumbo-sized Caf-Pow in hand. She'd told him in the car yesterday that she'd been relying on hospital coffee and extra-strength Tylenol to stave off the headaches, but now that she was back, he wasn't about to let her go another day without a real Caf-Pow. She was sitting at her desk, running some sort of program or search...mabob. He moved up behind her and, stealthily, before she gave any hint that she'd heard him, slid an arm around her to place the drink on the desk beside her. She jumped, startled, but reached for it immediately, before turning around.
"You're the best!" she exclaimed, after a long and desperate drag on the straw. He just grinned, watching her expression change from excited to flat-out ecstatic. "Next time, I'm bringing a cooler or something."
"Can't take liquids onto airplanes, Abby," Gibbs reminded her simply, as he stooped to squint at her screen. Abby, however, quickly flipped off the monitor before he could really see anything. When he turned to fix his gaze upon her face, she started up as though she'd been electrocuted and hurried to her office, to dig through her bag.
"I can't believe I forgot yesterday," she was mumbling, as she sorted through various bottles and papers. Finally, she apparently found what she was looking for, and hid it behind her back as she approached him with a triumphant grin. "Aunt Priscilla gave me these for you. She told me that she got them with you in mind." She made a face and pulled her hand from around her back, brandishing several long shiny strands of brightly-colored beads. "I don't...want to know what that means."
Gibbs chuckled. "Jealous, Abbs?" he asked, as he leaned forward a bit, permitting her to slip the beads over his head. Only Abby.
He straightened up, and Abby rewarded him for his tolerance with one of her brilliant smiles. "Maybe I am," she replied, before all but skipping over to her computer and switching the monitor back on. Immediately, the computer made a beeping noise, and Abby immediately dissolved into giggles. Gibbs, however, fought to keep his face blank. "T-T...." she began, but could get no farther before further giggles wracked her body—and apparently also her vocal cords. "To-ooony?"
Gibbs allowed a half-smile to sneak across his face, and patted Abby's shoulder lightly. "I'll need you to email that file to me ASAP." He headed out the door, but turned to look at Abby one last time. "That's good work, Abbs," he called, before heading back to his office.