DISCLAIMER - I don't own NCIS and these characters are not mine, more's the pity. Still, it's nice taking them for a spin around the dance floor.
In his Hands
Abby Sciuto was no stranger to unorthodox and unusual situations. In fact, she rather prided herself on her flair for the unconventional. On the one hand, a clinically efficient forensic scientist, on the other, a macabre loving goth, the very antithesis of a geeky lab rat. She slept in a casket. She met her dates in cemeteries.
Yet even by her own far reaching standards, today was a new venture into bizarre. She was sitting in the passenger seat of a car that belonged to Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. She was waiting for him to take her home, where, according to Senior Agent Anthony DiNozzo, he was going to spank her.
DiNozzo was known to spin tall ones but these were almost exclusively confined to anecdotes extolling his own romantic prowess. Something told Abby that when DiNozzo warned her that Gibbs intended to take her over his knee, he was telling the truth.
Handsome but unattainable senior agent, cute but complex scientist, a spanking, it should read like a scene in which Abby would pay good money for a starring role.
Instead, she felt her stomach do weird little flip flops at the thought and the unwelcome sensation of unshed tears tightening her throat. She had never been disciplined before, not like that. Not for real. Not by him.
The driver's door opened with a sudden burst of cold air and the interior light came on, like a spotlight pointing out the condemned woman.
Gibbs slid behind the wheel, the door closing with a soft thunk. Abby didn't trust herself to speak, fearing the knot of tears would give away her distress. Bad enough to have screwed up. No need to compound the situation by looking like a whiny little kid to boot.
To her relief, he didn't look in her direction. When he lifted his arm to reach for her and draw her against his shoulder, she was more relieved still. She cuddled against him, forgetting the fragile desire to disguise her upset. It was only in his arms that she realised how much she had wanted to be held.
"I thought you were angry with me," she said quietly. "I'm mad as Hell. But I need you to know that you are safe," he said.
How dumb was she if she thought she could hide her apprehension from him? "I'm always safe with you, Gibbs," the words were out of her mouth before she even had to think how to form them.
The absolute sincerity in her voice had him squeezing his eyes closed though she couldn't see his face.
Didn't she realise just how much danger she had been in? She had all but put out the damn welcome mat for it, in fact. Thinking of it made him hold her a little closer still.
He wasn't there. When she opened that door and harm walked straight through, he wasn't there and it was something he would not permit to happen again.
He gathered himself quickly. Neither temper nor terror served any useful purpose when dealing with a problem.
"Why d'you do it, Abby?" he asked the question, knowing there was no answer that would make it ok, no explanation that would justify her opening a door to a danger the extent of which none knew for sure.
"I thought it was Tim."
Right enough, the answer muttered into his jacket failed to satisfy.
In fact, ire bit deeper. McGee had been charged with watching her. Yet he had disobeyed a direct order and left her alone.
Gibbs wasn't done with him but he knew that his agent had warned and warned Abby to keep the door locked.
She knew, she knew she was being hunted and still she opened the door when she was alone and vulnerable. The thought made his chest feel tight.
To Abby, his silence spoke volumes. He was mad as Hell.
Unknowingly, she mimicked his gesture and closed her eyes and while he was still hugging her, she drew a deep breath.
"Will it hurt?"
"Yeah. Won't lie to you, Abs. You got this coming. But getting shot hurts a lot more, trust me."
DiNozzo had been right. He was going to spank her.
Against her will, a sob broke free and he kept her pressed to his shoulder as he started the engine.
"I repeat. You are safe. Nothing is going to happen that isn't for your own good," he said.
He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze.
"If you didn't matter to me, Abby, we wouldn't be here. This is happening only because I won't let harm come to you. Even if you're too stubborn to save your own neck."
It was a long speech for Gibbs, a man who used words more sparingly than a miser would use the electric heater in a snowstorm.
"When it's done…. Afterwards… Gibbs can I crash at your place?" she asked in a small voice. Gibbs hid a small smile. He had no intention of letting her out of his sight until the man who wanted her dead was caught but it was a bonus if she thought it was all her idea.
"Guestroom's all your Abs."
"Let's go," he gave her a quick, bracing squeeze and she sniffed and swiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand.
He put the car in gear and roared out of the garage. Abby would have been happy if he drove forever but the powerful engine ate the miles with ease until he was pulling up in his own yard.
He got out, walked around to her side and opened the door for her, holding out a hand for hers.
She willingly gave it, appreciating the warmth of his grasp as he led her indoors.
She was also glad of the feeling of strength she drew from being near to him. She was neck deep in trouble with him and yet she felt safer than she had since this whole disastrous series of events kicked off.
Gibbs was tempted to make her sweat it a little. The quick strides she was taking, the even breaths, the way she held his hand a little too tight for comfort.
She was nervous but making a valiant effort to hide it from him. Gibbs wanted her to feel the edge of it but when he looked at her and saw the pallor of her face, saw the bleak look in her eyes, he mellowed instantly.
He didn't lecture or scold. He had a point to make but the time for talking was done.
He fixed her with a level look, the steely blue eyes imparting a message that made Abby want to cry all over again.
It was scary, being hunted by a predator with no face, shadowed by a threat she could not identify.
But his disapproval, that was a terrible vista to confront.
He knew that Abby felt real torment at being the source of his displeasure. And right now, she had enough tumult going on in her life. As a Marine, Gibbs had learned that simple always worked best.
So, he reached out a hand and put a gentle finger beneath her chin. He locked the damp green eyes to his own.
"What have I told you, Abby?" he asked.
"I'm safe," she said and he was pleased at the confidence he heard in her voice.
He nodded once and moved away to shrug out of his jacket, which he tossed onto the couch.
"So how does this work? Tony said he leans over the desk in your basement. He said there is um.. That sometimes you paddled him but sometimes there is,,like um, you use your belt. I know you said getting shot hurts more but I might be a bit of a wuss with pain. I'm totally peeing on my cred as queen of the darkness here but is that what you are going to do?"
"Nope."
He moved toward the dining table, pulled a wooded chair from beneath it. He placed it in the middle of the floor and looked back at her.
"Come to me now."
Feeling almost nauseous, Abby obeyed and before she had time to think about it, he was sitting on the chair, holding her face down across his lap.
He placed the palm of one hand flat on her back.
"It's ok to cry, no shame in tears. Don't fight me and remember this is happening because you did not do as you were told," his voice was soft but firm.
Her fingers closed around the fabric of his pants leg and she squeezed her eyes closed.
She felt vulnerable lying like this but it was unexpectedly comforting to have contact with him.
He administered the first spanking Abby had ever received that was designed to express censure.
He was certainly thorough and the unfamiliar stinging heat from the sharp smacks he delivered had tears prickling in her eyes within seconds.
Her throat felt tight and soon, raw, gasping sobs were escaping her.
Gibbs was well aware that the others regarded Abby as his favourite. It wasn't exactly true, he cared about each one on his team, he would lay down his life to protect any of them but Abby was his dear one.
The taste for the macabre was a thin veneer, beneath was girl who loved hugs, who could sob her heart out at the thought of an injured puppy, who thought birthdays were for presents and candles.
It was true, on the occasions when he had disciplined DiNozzo, he had asked him to lean over his workshop bench and he had used his belt or a wooden paddle to get the job done.
Gibbs didn't particularly like to admit it about himself but it was different with his girls.
He couldn't bring himself to raise his belt to Abby. As it was, feeling the sobs that wracked her made his heart ache knowing that he was the cause of them.
Abby was vaguely aware that the spanking had stopped and Gibbs was rubbing circles on her back.
"Breathe now, Abby. Slowly does it,"
Through her tears, his voice reached her.
"It was dumb. I shouldn't have treated it like game, Gibbs," she cried.
He eased her upright and positioned her so she was cradled on his knee, careful so that she was comfortable. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder, crying hard for long seconds.
"It'll be ok, Abby. I won't let anything happen to you," he said softly. The force of her crying took him by surprise.
He started to worry that he had been too hard on her. He let her cling to him and he tightened his hold on her, willing her to calm.
But her shoulders shook as she continued to sob and her breathing was ragged.
His own heartbeat kicked up a little. This wasn't right. Sure, he had intended to teach her a lesson about taking her safety more seriously. He didn't aim to make it a pleasant experience but he would never have wanted to truly hurt her.
"Abby," he breathed, concern leaking into his tone.
"Let me see you," he tried to lift her away from him a little, anxious to find her eyes.
Her response was to burrow deeper into his arms. So, he held her, giving her the comfort she clearly craved.
Finally, she seemed to have cried herself out, the sobs quietened and he patted her back, not talking, keeping her tight to him, waiting until the storm passed.
"Why, Gibbs? What did I do that was so bad someone wants me dead?" her voice was small and raw from the tears.
Understanding clicked in the Special Agent's quick mind. This was the core from which this flood of torment had flowed. The fear of what was happening had sunk in. She was reacting to that and he felt relief that the punishment had not been more than she could handle afterall.
"You tell me," he said, leaning his head so his cheek rested on top of her head.
She drew a sharp breath. "I am not a bad person. I don't deserve to die," her tone grew more emphatic and he nodded once.
"That's right, Abs. "
She rose her head and met his gaze.
"I will keep you safe. No-one is going to hurt you, Abby. But I need you to follow instructions from now on. Understood?"
There was steel in his eyes and she nodded. No more fooling around.
He lifted a hand and wiped the swiftly drying tears from her face with the backs of his fingers.
"You okay?"
She gave a crooked smile and his Abby was back.
"I'm with NCIS' finest. This is like the bat cave, right? I'm better than okay,"
He laughed, setting her back on her feet to drop a kiss atop her head as he rose.
"Not to be a nuisance but these hands are precision instruments. Highly specialised tools, trained to unlock the mysteries of the universe. So what do you have in mind for me to do now that I am your guest of honour?" she lifted her hands to waggle her fingers at him.
"So how good are those precision instruments of yours at opening a couple of beers? The game is starting in five. I can order takeout?" his eyes glinted at her.
"Holy frolicking fast food Batman! Sounds like a fine idea to me,"
She was glad that he was making things seems normal, they were two friends hanging out, as opposed to one very scared scientist hiding out.
He followed her into his kitchen, ordering the food while she rummaged in his refrigerator.
"Speaking of precision implements, you got your own and in good working order. That spanking smarted!" she grumbled.
He tilted his head at her. Message clear. It was supposed to.
"I'd be happy never to have to repeat it. You gave me a scare, Abs. I thought you were more than smarting,"
"Got kinda scared myself. I let you down, didn't I ?" she risked a quick glance at him from beneath her long lashes heavy with mascara.
He walked up to her. Cupped her cheek in his palm.
"You never let me down Abby."
The cobalt eyes were fixed on hers, his face set and honest.
"See you say something like that and I can't be mad at you for taking me to the woodshed," she pursed her lips at him and he smiled.
She handed him a beer and he clicked it briefly off her own.
He was no Bruce Wayne, she knew that. But he was her Superhero, no doubt about it.