Smooth Criminals

"Abby, are you O.K.? Are you o.k.?" Gibbs asked, trying to get a response, while the agents went over the crime scene.

-ooo-

It was 1:40 a.m., and sounds of footsteps were heard in Abby's apartment. She woke up suddenly and stepped out of her coffin clutching Bert the hippo. She took her cell phone and called Gibbs, but before she could even turn on the lights, two pairs of hands grabbed her, and soon she found herself tied to a chair in her own living room.

It wasn't one, but two men holding her captive. The carpet had bloodstains, probably from them breaking in through the window. Both faces were familiar. She was petrified beyond words.

"Hello darling," the older man uttered, with a voice that sent chills down her spine. "I'm sorry that we tied you up this way. We don't wanna hurt you. We just needed to do this for your own safety. See, I even brought a friend of yours! I'm sure you missed him"

"Hi, Abbs, long time no see", said the younger man, smiling nervously.

She should have seen it coming. How did Harper Dearing manage to take Mikel out of jail? What could he possibly want from her?

"I've done my research, Abby." Dearing continued, "you're a very smart girl. Quite eccentric, too" he noted, taking a quick look at his surroundings. "Right now, you could be literally anything you wanted. You could be rich, have the world at your feet, but you decided to be an underpaid scientist for the navy. That's pretty selfless of you. I'm going to remove the tape from your mouth, but you gotta promise me, you won't scream. Deal, Abby?"

She nodded frantically.

Dearing did it, and it took every bit of will power from her to keep her part of the "deal". "Can I have Bert, please?" was all she said.

"Who's Bert?"

"It's the stuffed animal there. She loves it. It's her security blanket," Mikel answered, lifting his head and smiling at her, as if he was proud of himself for remembering.

Dearing looked at it, then put it in her lap. "Whatever floats you boat... this is you schtick, isn't it? That whole… dark Lolita thing. Edgy but frail. A damsel in distress, a Matilda in dire need of affection. That's a great way to seduce an older man with a broken heart and a white knight complex… a man like, agent Gibbs perhaps?"

Abby just kept staring at Dearing and his companion, as he went on with his rambling. She was sure that if he wasn't a deranged terrorist, Tony would be proud of his cinematic knowledge. "You're very clever. You have him wrapped around you finger."

"That's not true!" Mikel exclaimed. "I met Agent Gibbs. He was the one to put me in jail, all because I wanted us to be together, isn't that right, Abbs?" he looked at her, then turned to the man who had set him free. "I was trying to save her, and that man kept me from seeing or reaching her. He's the one manipulating her, not the other way around!"

"He doesn't manipulate me. He would never do anything like that," Abby replied emphatically.

Dearing was pensive. He considered Mikel's words. "You're right, Mikel… I had forgotten about that. You can't see it because you're too much under his control, but once we get you to open your eyes, you'll be glad we did what we're doing right now. Poor thing," the hostage-taker lamented. "Instead of wasting her life away with King Lear, such a young lady should be outside, enjoying her life with someone more… age appropriate."

"Like your son if he was alive right now?"

"Yes."

She looked at him. He didn't seem to be trying to trick her or her stalker. He looked like he sincerely believed every word that came out of his mouth, and that made him all the more terrifying. Her tied hands squirmed uncomfortably.

"What do you want from me?"

"Well, the first thing we wanted from you, you already did, my dear," Dearing replied. "You called Gibbs, that's very good. He should be here anytime now. The second thing is that we want you to help us make justice. You know the navy yard, and you know your chemistry. That first bomb was just a rehearsal, but this time we're going for the real deal."

"That bomb was in the director's car, in front of my lab!" she retorted.

"I realize that I made a mistake there, and I'm sorry about that. From what I'd seen, you were agent Gibbs' girl, the way to get to him. That's why I put the bomb where I did."

"But then he met me," offered Mikel, "and I told him the truth. Now he knows you're just another victim in all of this."

"If you help us with this," Dearing continued, "you will be doing an honorable deed, and you will open doors for a brighter future. I will personally make sure that you have a very comfortable and lucrative job, unlike the one you have right now. See, I have a lot of power, and I can make your dreams come true. If you do the right thing and side with us, I will."

"And what if I don't?" she inquired.

"Oh no. You don't want that to happen." Dearing snapped back menacingly.

"Abby," Mikel intervened, "this is the best thing that could have ever happened to you. To us. He's giving us the chance to be heroes and rebuild our lives, free from the claws of that awful man who's bent of destroying his life and keeping us apart. We can be happy, Abbs" he implored, almost on his knees, stroking her chin lightly. "We can finally be together, angel. It's all in your hands!"

Abby weighed her options. She was definitely between a rock and a hard place. She felt powerless and didn't know what to do, except going along and keeping their craziness at bay.

"Okay," she conceded. "So, what's the plan?"

The older man took a blueprint of the Navy yard and put in on the table. "In theory, we know the structure and flow to be able to put a bomb that has maximum impact, but we don't know the weakest points or the best way to penetrate them. We need you to help us with that."

She looked at them in disbelief. For a terrorist, this man sure was gullible. "I will need my hands for this."

"I'm afraid that wouldn't be safe at this point," Dearing replied.

"Fair enough," Abby sighed. "Then I need you two to be my hands – and my eyes. Look at the blueprint. See the MTAC?"

"Yes, we do. It's right here…" The two men stared at the blueprint with pen in hand, following the instructions their hostage gave them. They were fixated.

"This looks reaaally good," said Dearing, proud. "Once we get rid of agent Gibbs, we c-"

*POW*

Somehow, Abby had managed to untie her hands and produce a mouse gun out of nowhere. Her aim was perfect: Harper Dearing was dead with a shot to the head. She aimed it at Mikel, who was panicked. "What did you do, Abbs?" he cried.

"Get away from me! Stay away from this place!" on one hand, she had Bert the hippo and a swiss knife clutched against her chest, while she used the other one to point at her ex with the gun. She was trembling and in tears. He pointed a larger gun at her, but it was obvious she had had more practice. Freedom was always an advantage in that department.

"You don't wanna do this, angel. All this time I've been away, I've only been able to think about you. You were my reason to get up every morning and live everyday inside of that hellhole. Everything I've done was for this moment,…"

"Shut up and get out!" Abby finally yelled. She did what she had to do, but she didn't want to kill two people in one day. She just wanted it to be over.

"No Abby. I love you!"

"I don't care about your love, get out!"

"I love you Abby, and you love me too! If you didn't love me, you'd have already sh-"

*POW* *POW*

Gibbs entered the apartment and ran towards Abby in a rush. Two bullets, one from her gun and one from his, ended Mikel Mawher's life. Gibbs called NCIS while untying her feet, and trying to reassure her, even though she didn't seem to listen.

-ooo-

"Abby, are you O.K.? Are you o.k.?" Gibbs asked, trying to get a response, while the agents went over the crime scene.

Vance had already told them there would be no problem at all: due to the circumstances, it was clear that this was a case of self-defense. All the members of Gibbs's team had offered their places for Abby, but Gibbs refused for her.

"She will stay at my place," was all the explanation he offered. No one challenged him.

"I just have one doubt," Vance told the agent. "How did you get in here? The door doesn't seem tampered with."

"I have keys to here."

"Since when?"

"Since always," Gibbs shrugged, throwing him a look that answered the rest of the unspoken questions.

-ooo-

After they arrived at Gibbs' house and were alone in the bedroom, Abby finally broke down. She clung to him like there was no tomorrow, confused between fear and guilt. "You did the right thing," he assured her. "You're not alone, and they won't bother us no more."

They tucked themselves in bed, searching for comfort in each other's arms. Feeling safe and less panicked, Abby finally spoke.

"They believed, Gibbs. They thought they were saving me from you. It was frightening."

"Every hero needs a villain. Every martyr needs a cause." He kissed her softly and caressed her hair. He wanted to ask her to move in with him: actually, he had wanted it since always, but now he felt there was more than one reason for that. He had locked the door, and he was willing to do anything – even get cable. However, this wasn't the time to talk about it. He was just grateful they were together and alive. They needed rest first. There would be enough time for conversation later on.

"I love you, Gibbs," she mumbled while falling asleep.

He couldn't help curving his lips into a smile. "I love you too, Abby." He mumbled back. "You don't know how much."

THE END.