Exhaustion

A/N: Beginning dialogue from 5x05 "Leap of Faith" but the rest is fanfiction and doesn't follow the episode. Established OT3 Gibbs/Jen/Abby. Start's Abby's POV, mostly Jen's POV, Abby-centric.

The bickering behind her was making her go crazy, Tony, Tim and Agent Jardine all trying to talk over each other. She put two fingers in her mouth, whistling loudly to get their attention.

"Back off all of you, ok? I am one person!"

"Woah, woah, easy Abbs." Normally, Gibbs could calm her but not right now, not when her adrenaline is running this high.

"No!" She snaps, frustration creeping into her voice, "It's late, I am tired, I am overworked, and I am taken for granted!"

He gave her a look, a look that held a lot of emotions - annoyance, confusion, acceptance - before turning to walk out of the lab in defeat. He stopped mid-stride, facing her again, his tone cutting through her mood like a knife, "Maybe you should accept that job offer."

She turned to him, hurt shining in her eyes; she Gibbs-slaps Tony on the back at the head at his shocked expression, just as a way to release some pent-up annoyance. Gibbs doesn't even bat an eye, waiting.

"I can't believe you'd say that to me, Gibbs," she hates that patient smile on his face, the way he just lets her talk, "How could you think that I could be leaving? 'Cause I got a little mad? So what? We're family, that's allowed. I get three or four job offers every year; I've never considered any of 'em."


Jen observes Abby's huddled form on the bed. It's always worrisome when your normal bubbly girlfriend leaves work earlier than normal, and you find her piled under a mountain of blankets.

"Abby?" She doesn't like the way the younger woman jumps, clearly startled.

From underneath the blankets, the Goth mutters, "Can't sleep."

"Scoot," she requests.

Abby grumbles softly, and the blankets shift slightly. She smiles, biting her lip to stop from laughing; she was supposed to be serious, but the image was so damn cute. She slides underneath the sheets, and Abby immediately turns to rest in her arms, snuggling up to her. She presses a kiss to the Goth's hair.

"Bad day?" She had a loose idea of what had happened, but she still wanted to hear what happened from the woman herself.

"The worst."

"Mmm," she acknowledges, knowing Abby would tell her eventually. She didn't disappoint.

"There was so much evidence," Abby begins softly, "And they were just so demanding and so loud, and I just wanted them to stop."

"It's okay," she hushes her gently.

"No, it's not," Abby mumbles, her voice catching.

She feels the bed dip as Jethro settles on the other side, slipping under the covers and pressing up against Abby. Any other time, the absurdity of the situation would make her laugh, but Abby always hid herself away when she was feeling low; pulling the covers over her head was just another manifestation of that urge.

Jethro's voice holds no judgment as she hears him question, "What's going on with you today?"

"Just a bad day," Abby replies, but she doesn't move from her arms, the words coming out muffled. Something inside told her that wasn't the whole truth.

"That all?" She prods.

"Yes," Abby says, but it comes out unconvincing.

"Abbs," Jethro shoots back, his voice holding a frustrated edge to it, concern bleeding in as well.

They weren't supposed to keep secrets from each other; they usually didn't, Abby the least of all.

Abby sighs softly, relaxes into the bed, "I just haven't been sleeping well lately, and work has just been one frustration after another. It's just getting to me is all."

"Then let's start with getting to bed," Jethro's voice is soft, understanding.

"But…" Abby starts, but neither of them wants to listen to excuses, readjusting on the bed just slightly, pulling the covers down off their heads. Abby grumbles slightly.

"Shh," She breathes out, "you need to sleep, just close your eyes. We're not going anywhere."

Abby tried to fight it, but eventually, she lays still, touching them both in some way as her breathing evens out, and she succumbs to the call of sleep. There was a lot more to unpack, but right now, that wasn't the issue. All that mattered was making sure their girl got the rest she deserved. And if she and Jethro fell asleep too, well, that didn't matter that much.

A/N: I hope you liked it. Please review