Pairing: Gibbs/Abby.
Rating: FR-18 for eventual smut. I think ;)
Spoilers: None that I can think of.
Practical Stuff: I don't own them, nor am I making money off of them.
Summary: Not all accidents are accidents.
Hey Guys, so this was my NaNo project - the idea is to write a 50,000 word novel (er, fic in my case) in a month. This fic currently sits at 52K and it's not quite finished - trying to figure out the ending. But I thought I'd start posting now as 50K is a lot, and I'm certain I will finish long before I get to post the ending.
"I thought we had dinner plans?" Gibbs pushed into Fornell's office, the irritation evident in his voice. He had expected to arrive at home and find dinner waiting for him – it was Fornell's turn to figure out dinner. Over the past few months they had come up with an unspoken agreement to have dinner together a few times a month. It gave them the chance to discuss cases, get an outsiders point of view and at the same time unwind from the stresses of work. He hadn't expected to get a call while en route, asking to go to the FBI office instead. "Why here?"
"Say hello to Jethro, Em." Fornell gave a meaningful glance over Gibbs' shoulder at his daughter.
"Hello Uncle Gibbs."
The harsh scowl faded from Gibbs face as he turned toward the eight year old and dropped down on one knee and offered his hand. "Hello Emily. How are you?"
"Oh, I'm quite busy." Emily smiled and gave his hand a firm shake. "I've been bumped up a level in ballet and mom has started me in piano and tennis."
"Ballet, piano and tennis?" Gibbs asked. "That sure sounds like a lot."
"Now you know where your alimony is going." Tobias muttered under his breath.
Gibbs glanced back over his shoulder at Fornell and then returned his attention to Emily when she spoke. "It is a lot, but mom said I need to keep busy. Says it'll look good when I get to jr. high, high school and college. Plus, it'll help me to become a lady."
"A lady, huh?" Gibbs grinned. Kelly had wanted to take up soccer because she was tired of wearing a skirt all day to school. He had said no, worried that she would get hurt.
"Oh Jethro, she just wants the chance to get dirty now and again. These girls are eight, they don't know how to do a sliding tackle at this age. She'll be fine."
Reluctantly he had then said yes, and he'd gotten to see her play a game before he left for Kuwait. She'd scored a goal, and her team had won. On the way home they'd stopped for ice cream and she promised him she'd win a big trophy by the time he was home again. She'd gotten that trophy just days before she died. He still had it tucked away in his closet.
"Yes, a lady." Emily repeated. "But it keeps me really, really busy. So the rest of my time I focus on my homework. Mommy says I must keep up on my school work. If I do well all year, then I can get a kitten this summer."
"That would be fun." Gibbs stood and touched his finger to the tip of her nose, making her giggle before she moved back to her father's desk to sit down. Gibbs nodded and Fornell joined him closer to the door. "Why is she here?"
"You know Diane, making life difficult."
Gibbs tried to suppress a grin. He really tried.
Fornell rolled his eyes at the obvious I told you so look on Gibbs' face. "She's got Em signed up for all these things, and it's cutting into my custody time. But I can't ask her to quit, look at her, she loves all these activities. Today Diane had a late meeting so she offered me the extra few hours with her. I couldn't say no."
"No, no I guess you couldn't." Gibbs glanced back at the young girl who had returned her focus to her homework. "She really has that much school work?"
"Yeah, I can't believe the amount they've got already in second grade."
Gibbs shook his head, and then changed subjects. "What've you got?"
"One of my agents pulled O'Brian up on bank security tape an hour before my M.E. listed for time of death. That's a lot of ground to cover for O'Brian to be the killer."
"Maybe if you had let Ducky do his work, we'd have a more specific time of death."
"Damnit Jethro," Fornell cast an apologetic smile towards Emily when she looked up from her paper. "I know your people are top notch. Doesn't mean mine aren't just as good."
Gibbs crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What else you got?"
"I sent some DNA to Abby an hour or two ago, she should have results in tomorrow morning."
Gibbs looked at his watch and frowned. It was just after nine and if Abby had been sent DNA within the last few hours he had no doubt that she was still in her lab processing the DNA Fornell had sent her. "Anything else?"
"My team is working on some security footage, but until we've got the DNA back, there isn't much we can do. I can't pull people in to question if I have no solid proof of anything. I'd prefer to have something to go off of."
Gibbs tense and then relaxed, remembering Emily was still in the room. If Fornell had just allowed NCIS to take the lead, the evidence, the interviews, it could all be done in one place. He hated sharing cases with the FBI despite the fact that he and Tobias were sometimes friends. "I'll be in touch tomorrow."
Gibbs smiled fondly at Emily and then slipped out the door. He lived 20 minutes from the FBI headquarters, but he drove past his house, driving an extra 15 minutes to get back to NCIS. He gave a nod and flashed his ID to security on the yard and parked in his usual spot. As predicted, the lights in the lab were still on as he passed by the window to her underground sanctuary. Security inside the building wasn't surprised to see him again; he showed up at all times of the day and night, and they greeted him with a smile and a little small talk. Gibbs made it a habit to be on a first name basis with security, and it usually got him a quicker response when he needed someone escorted out, or on the more than one occasion he'd put security detail on Abby's lab.
As he rode the elevator down, he briefly wondered if he should have had a Caf-Pow! with him, but he wasn't there to get Abby to work harder, he wanted her to load the samples and then leave, preferably to get some sleep. She put in enough hours as it was, she didn't need Fornell pressuring her into more.
Abby turned to face him the moment he stepped inside the lab. "I thought I heard the elevator." She greeted him with a big smile.
"Whatcha doin' here?"
"What are you doing here?"
Gibbs leaned his hip against the evidence table. "I asked you first."
Abby gave a playful smile. "Askers go first."
"Abby," he warned gently.
"Oh come on Gibbs, we had this whole playful banter thing going on, it was kind of fun. You know why I'm here. I got some DNA to run for Fornell for the case you agreed to share. What's with that? Since when do you share?"
Gibbs grunted and shifted on his feet causing Abby to laugh. "Since the director didn't give you a choice. That's what I figured."
"You almost done?"
"I think so. I've got all the samples loaded, but they need a good eight to twelve hours to run, so I was just-" Abby waved back at her computer. "You know."
"You were just heading home."
"I'll get there eventually."
"No, you'll get there now. You're of no use if you're dead on your feet in the lab tomorrow."
Abby sighed. "You only love me for my forensic skills. I'm crushed." She sent a smirk over her shoulder at him as she turned and began to switch off the machines she wasn't using.
"I'm sure you'll survive."
"I'm crushed, Gibbs. Absolutely crushed." She collected her coat and her purse.
Gibbs held out his arm for her and smiled warmly when she accepted. "You know how I feel, Abbs."
"An extra large Caf-Pow! on my desk first thing in the morning might convince me." Abby slipped her arm through his and grinned when he kissed the side of her head. She followed willingly as he started walking, leading her out towards the elevator.
He walked her to her car and watched as she buckled up before shutting the door for her. He watched as she gave a little wave and pulled out of her space before he turned to get into his own car. Satisfied she was going home for more than just a few hours of sleep, he headed home to spend a few hours with his boat.
The music in Abby's lab was deafening and both men ducked their heads when the doors slid open. Fornell wasn't sure where the power button was so instead he gave a quick tug on the power cord, bathing the lab in silence.
"Hey!" Abby turned to face them. "I was listening to that!" Her frown faded when she saw the Caf-Pow! Gibbs was holding. "That for me?"
"It's not for him." Gibbs nodded at Fornell as he pushed the large cup into her hands. Fornell had offered to buy Abby her morning Caf-Pow! but Gibbs had disregarded his offer. As far as Gibbs was concerned, he was the only one to buy her Caf-Pow!. And on the rare occasion he sent one of his team down with her favorite drink, it was still on his tab.
"Well, you're just in time, as usual." Abby took a quick sip and then placed the drink on her desk. "He's always down here at just the right time, it's like he-"
"Abby." Gibbs had her back on track with a stern look.
"Right, back on track. I've been running the various DNA samples all night, and they must've had a party in that office, because there were a billion different DNA samples. Except for O'Brian. Unless he's got a magic eraser that erases just his DNA and finger prints, he's telling the truth, he wasn't in that office. I did find finger prints to a Colonel Shelly everywhere. I'm going back and trying to see if I can find a match to Shelly with all the other stuff we've got, but that might take awhile."
"How long?" Gibbs asked.
"Well, if you want a thorough job…"
"I want a thorough job." Fornell interrupted.
"At least until tomorrow – hey guys, don't give me that look." They shared the same look of irritation over the delay, but Abby wasn't about to back down. "We've got box after box of evidence down in the evidence locker. We've got two cars impounded and thirteen weapons. It won't take long for me to get it all started, but that's a lot of information for the system to go through. You can't rush science, Fornell. Gibbs knows that, it's about time you learn that too."
"Of course, Gibbs knows all."
Gibbs gave Fornell and 'I-told-you-so' look and then smiled at Abby. "Call me if you get anything."
"Don't I always?"
Both men turned and headed out the door. "You know, things would've been better organized if you'd just have let Abby have all the evidence from the beginning."
"You really want to start with me, Jethro? I've apparently got all day now while I wait for results. So please, start something."
Gibbs took a sip of his coffee to hide the smirk. They both knew Fornell's lab wasn't big enough to handle the amount of evidence or the time-line in which they were trying to work. But Fornell had been adamant that it was an FBI case – FBI had been the first to respond – despite the fact that the victim was a Marine.
In the end, Director Vance had called it a pissing match between Fornell and Gibbs and gave FBI lead on the case as long as Gibbs and his team were involved. Fornell had strutted proudly from the office until he realized that he was in over his head, and that the stand in for his regular forensic scientist was no match for Abby's skill.
At the end of the day, Gibbs sent his agents home to get some rest. They'd been working until late each night the past few weeks, wrapping up old cases, finishing paper work, and lately they'd been hovering over Fornell's agents to try and figure out who had murdered their Marine. Once the squad room was empty, Gibbs closed down his computer and filed away the papers he'd been reading. He hadn't seen Abby pass by, and she rarely, if ever, left without saying goodbye. He found her on the floor in her lab, boxes surrounding her as she labeled the last of the evidence. She had managed to sort through all of the evidence and had been running prints, DNA, and blood samples as quickly as she could.
"Almost done here?"
"Yeah, I've got the last of the samples loaded for the night. I just need to finish labeling these and then get the place somewhat cleaned up for the janitor to do the floor tonight. Another hour at the most."
"Need a ride home tonight?" Abby had been trying to reduce her carbon footprint by taking the bus to work whenever she could and because it wasn't horribly out of the way, Gibbs would often give her a ride if they ended up working late. "I can wait," Gibbs offered.
"Nah, with the early hours I've been working, I've been driving in lately. Thanks though," she smiled up at him.
"Don't stay too late, Abbs. If I have to come back to drag you out of the lab, I won't be very happy."
"You wouldn't call to check up on me?" She gasped and feigned insult when he fixed her with a stern look. "You would! Okay, well, give me two hours max. I should be out within the hour, but you never know when a computer dings or a machine beeps. So maybe three…"
"Abby. You've got two hours. Max."
Abby nibbled her lower lip and glanced around the lab.
"Security is more scared of me than you, so no funny business," Gibbs added.
"Okay… alright, no funny business. Out within two hours." She gave a clumsy salute.
"Good girl." With Abby still on the floor, a kiss on the cheek wasn't doable so instead he reached down to tug on one of her pigtails before heading for the door.
"Bye!" She called at his retreating form.
Gibbs wasn't surprised to see Fornell's car parked out front and the lights on in his house. He could hear his friend moving around the kitchen, and the smell of what he was cooking hit his nose immediately.
"Wow, you cook? We usually do take-out. If you keep this up, I might start to think you're trying to woo me." Gibbs peeked in the pot on the stove. "What are we having."
Fornell wiped his hands on the towel he had tucked into his belt. "Fettucine Carbonara, it's an old family recipe, but I haven't made it in awhile. Just want to make sure I've still got it.
Gibbs smirked. "What's this one named?" The only reason Fornell would be honing his cooking skills would be because there was a new woman in his life.
Fornell hesitated a moment. "Sharon. And for your information, she's nothing like Diane."
Gibbs nodded, "Probably a good thing." He collected two plates and silverware for the both of them and put them on his dining table and then went to the refrigerator. "Beer?"
"Yeah."
Gibbs uncapped two beers and carried them to the table and was followed by Fornell with the pasta bowl in one hand and a salad in the other. They dished up silently and started in, looking up briefly after the first bite.
"S'good."
"Yeah."
They tucked back into their dinners, enjoying a hot meal and relaxed company, even if they weren't each other's first choice in dinner companion. It wasn't something that they did often, but occasionally they got tired of eating alone and despite the fact that they worked for different agencies, they had more than enough in common to talk about -whenever they actually talked.
Halfway through their meal, both men startled when the front door swung open.
"I just wanted to prove that I'm within my two hour time limit and I'm headed – oh – hey Fornell. I didn't realize…." Abby hesitated in the doorway, her hand hovering over the door knob.
"Abby," Fornell nodded politely.
"Abbs," Gibbs' chair scraped across the wooden floor as he stood up to greet her.
"Well I'll let you guys get back to…" Abby stopped when Gibbs began pulling her jacket off and then hung it on a hook by the door.
"Plenty of food. Fornell isn't half bad. Have a seat."
"Oh, I don't want to interrupt, you know, NCIS and FBI cooperation."
"Sit down, Abby. Jethro doesn't hold conversation very well." Fornell used his foot to push out an extra chair.
Abby laughed and Gibbs melted just a little at the twinkle in her eye. "You want a beer?"
"Please. And what do you mean he doesn't hold conversation very well?" She smiled up at Gibbs when he set a plate and silverware in front of her. "So what'd you make? Smells good."
Gibbs found it endearing that Abby was always sticking up for him, even when she knew Fornell was joking. Everyone knew that Gibbs didn't talk much, Abby included, but she never sat back when he was being picked on.
"Fettucine Carbonara. It's an old family recipe. I remember my mother making it every weekend." Fornell passed the bowl to her.
"You guys sure I'm not interrupting anything? Seems like you two had a little date-thing going on." Abby dished up her pasta and salad with a grin.
"Nah, Tobias isn't my first choice in date. Good thing you showed up."
"I'd hate to be a third wheel."
"Understandable." Gibbs looked at Fornell with a satisfied smirk. "Why didn't you bring your lady, Tobias?"
Abby preened silently under the implication that she was Gibbs' lady. "She was busy."
"Tobias Fornell!" Abby momentarily forgot about Gibbs' suggestion she was his. "You're dating someone? I spent half the day talking to your agents and no one mentioned anything. I need details!"
"Good. I don't need them gossiping about my private life. No one gossips about his private life." Fornell nodded at Gibbs. "Yes we do, we just do it quietly and we keep it in the office. No offense, but your agents tend to be a little chatty. What's her name?"
Fornell looked up and eyed Gibbs before answering. "Sharon."
"Has Emily met her yet?" Fornell softened at the mention of his daughter. She adored Abby and on the few occasions they had met, Abby had made sure she felt included in the conversation and, much to Diane's dismay, had given Emily a temporary tattoo.
"They've met a few times. Em really likes her. We went bowling last weekend, and they really got the chance to talk. They have a lot of similar interests, so that's been helpful."
Abby's face lit up. "Awesome! Wait, what day is today? Aren't you supposed to have Emily this evening?"
"Diane's got her in a bunch of classes, so for the time being, my time has been limited. I could fight it, legally I have the right, but she's been enjoying them so I hate to cut into that time. And she's doing so well, just advanced to the advanced class in ballet."
"Awesome!"
"So I guess it's for the best, especially with how busy I've been, that she keeps her extra activities. I'm hoping that once things settle down a bit over at the FBI that things will change, or maybe I can take her to her classes. And maybe if things with Sharon are still going good…" Fornell shrugged. "I guess we'll see where things go."
Abby couldn't help but feel hopeful for Fornell. He wasn't as torn and tormented inside the way Gibbs was, but he still deserved a happy, loving relationship and she hoped that this Sharon woman was the right one for him.
"Well, you cooked, you hosted. Only fair that I clean." Abby stood and started to gather plates.
"Sounds good to me." Fornell was content to sit back and watch Abby fuss over the two of them. "You don't have-"
"I know." Abby slapped Gibbs' hand away from his plate. "You boys can discuss whatever business you need to discuss."
"I should actually get going."
"You don't need to leave because of me. I had no intention of staying long, I just needed to prove it to Gibbs that I didn't spend all night in my lab. I'll stay out of your way."
"No, really, I need to run by the office and pick up a few things before heading home. I was waiting on a fax from Colonel Shelly's mother. Have a good night, Abby. Thank you for the extra company."
"Night Fornell." Abby waved the dish rag at him, laughing when the soapy water splashed her in the face. "I should have that evidence finished for you by ten."
"See you in the morning. Night Jethro." Fornell picked up his jacket and then headed for the door.
"You two do this often?" Abby asked over her shoulder, "your little bro-mance?"
"Our what?" "Bromance. You know bro's before hos… um, never mind. It's just… it's nice to know that you guys, you have each other. You're friends."
"We're not friends." Gibbs stepped up beside her and took the clean dish from her hand to dry it.
"Clearly."
Gibbs grunted and grabbed another dish to dry.
"Well, whatever you are. I'm just glad you don't spend every evening under your boat. And hey, look at it this way; you've got leftovers for dinner tomorrow." Abby pointed to the extra pasta that still needed to be put away in the fridge.
"Who knew he could actually cook."
"It's only one dish; let's not put him up on a pedestal quite yet."
"Invite him over for a few more free meals before placing judgment?"
"Exactly."
"You sure are a sly fox, you know that? Using the FBI for a few free meals. Be sure to let me know the next time he's cooking for you."
"You could come over tomorrow and help me finish off the leftovers. I promise I'm good at heating things up in the microwave." Gibbs gave a little shrug. He didn't want to appear too eager for her to come over, but at the same time he was rather hopeful. He enjoyed spending time with Abby outside of work, and the conversation had been easy between the three of them. It didn't happen often enough, but the few times they did have dinner together, just the two of them, it was always enjoyable – never an awkward moment between them.
"Two nights in a row. If I didn't know better, I would think you were sweet on me, Agent Gibbs." Abby handed him another dish to dry.
"What time should I come over?"
"I think that'll depend on how things go at work."
"I know," Abby sighed. "I'm just so ready to be done with this case."
"Me too, Abbs. Me too."
TBC…
** Sorry this was deleted/reposted. There was some issues with the text.