Title: The Good Wife's Guide
Author: ncislove
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: The Good Wives' Club, season 2
Summary: Abby decides she'll never be a good wife.
Abby flipped through the pages of the book as she sucked on a lollipop and shook her head. There was no way she would ever be anyone's ideal wife – not that she was interested in settling down in that way – but the hints and tips in the magazine made her skin crawl.
"Whatcha readin'?"
Her lips curved into a smile around the stick of her lollipop. "The Good Wife's Guide."
"Learn anything useful?"
"Shoudn't I be asking you if these are useful?"
Gibbs raised his hand as if he were going to slap the back of her head, but instead gave a little tug on her pigtails.
"What?" Abby feigned innocence. "You're the one that's been married three times. Did your ex-wives not live up to this standard?"
Gibbs pulled the book from her hands and flipped it open to a chapter about cleaning. "Scrubbing the bathroom floor with a toothbrush… that's what was missing."
Abby rolled her eyes. "Anyone suggests that I should do that… You don't want to see the outcome." Abby stood and began switching off machines for the night.
"I can imagine." Gibbs pulled her jacket off the hook and held it open for her. "Wanna grab a beer? Been a long case."
"Yeah, sounds good. Kate drive Tony home?"
"Nah, she had a date or something. Ducky took him home."
"Oooh, right." Abby smiled. Kate had told her about her date she had planned. She grabbed her purse and keys. "I'll meet you there."
Abby perched on the seat next to Gibbs and waved down the bartender for a drink. "How'd you get here so fast?"
"You drive slow"
"Hey! I drive within the speed limit," Abby protested and then gave the bartended a warm smile when he pushed a cold beer toward her. "What a case…. Poor Petty Officer Swain. Think she'll recover?"
Gibbs nodded. "She'll need some help, but I think she'll be alright. Why're you so caught up with this one?"
"I don't know, the good wife's guide – it's fascinating, if not sick. This guide wants women to be perfect and… just… boring. Do you really want to come home to someone who thinks it's their only duty to please you? I mean, I want to please the man I'm with, but as my only duty? Sorry, but I'd like a life."
"You realize that this was written back in the 1950's and that even during that time it was a bit of a stretch."
"I know, it just bothers me. Women's rights have come so far, but still, we make less and we're less respected. I took my car in for service and they tried to over-charge me!"
Gibbs smiled and took a sip of his beer. "Bet they won't try that again."
Abby grinned happily. "I almost can't wait to take my car back."
As one beer turned into two, then three and then four, the distance between them shrank considerably, and Abby leaned into Gibbs.
"So tell me, are any of the tips in that guide true?"
Gibbs chuckled and shook his head. "Didn't read it."
"Oh."
"You'll make some guy very lucky someday, don't worry about a stupid guide."
"Me? Nah, I mean, I want someone to love me, but I'm not cut out for the picket fence and the two-point-five kids and a dog. And I certainly couldn't follow that guide." Abby shrugged, "well, the dog part, maybe."
"You could have any man you want, Abbs. You don't need a wife's guide."
"Any man I want?" Abby giggled, the beer putting her at ease. "Think I could get the bartender to take me home?"
Gibbs' hand tightened around his beer bottle as he kept his gaze directed forward. "I'm sure all you'd have to do is ask."
Abby smiled smugly and elbowed Gibbs gently. "Maybe I'll ask!" Abby lifted her hand to get the bartenders attention, and gasped when Gibbs pushed her hand back down on the bar top. "Gibbs!"
"You sure you want him to take you home?"
"Jealous?"
"I asked you a question, Abby."
"Well you certainly haven't offered to take me home, so maybe I've got to ask around." Abby pulled her hand out from under his and turned back toward the bartender.
"Come home with me." His voice was low and rough and had a hint of something else. "We'll sleep this," he pointed to the empty beer bottles, "off. Then, we'll have breakfast together and figure things out."
Abby was already off the barstool by the time he was done talking, her hand finding his. "I'm not sleeping in the guest room and you're not sleeping on the couch." She tossed some cash on the bar. "And really, I'm not drunk enough that we can't just figure things out on the cab ride back to your place."
"Abbs." Gibbs followed along behind, unwilling to let his nerves get to him. They'd been working together long enough for him to be certain how he felt about her, but he needed to be certain about her feelings about all of this.
"I mean, I guess I can wait until tomorrow, but… you'll at least kiss me tonight, right? I've been waiting a long time for you to want me, and I just don't know if I can-"
Gibbs kissed her. She didn't have to wait.
END.
