Two inches to the Right
Topic: NCIS
Pairing: Kate/Abby
Rating: M (later)
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or I would be writing episodes not fanfics…
Summary: What if there had been wind that day and Ari's shot had only skimmed Kate's head? How would the fear of losing Kate effect Abby and their relationship?
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Chapter 2 – Moving Target
"Gibbs is being nice."
It was an odd way to start a conversation even for Tony and Abby spun round in her chair to face the soggy haired Special Agent.
"Gibbs is always nice" Abby corrected him. Tony stopped a couple of paces away from her and gazed down at her with a smirk on his face.
"To you and Ducky, maybe, to me...well he growls at me and smacks me on the head…."
She couldn't help but chuckle at him. He always knew how to make her laugh even when times were stressful.
"Which makes you feel wanted" she pointed out as she stood up from her seat. "What d'ya got for me?"
He raised his right hand and waved the evidence bag in front of her. In the bag there were 3 bullet casings and Abby shuddered at the thought that one of them had contained the bullet that had nearly killed Kate.
"308 casings from Ari's sniper's nest" Tony stated "god knows where the actual bullets ended up."
The first thing that popped into Abby's ahead was thank god it's not in Kate's head but then as Tony handed her the evidence bag and she looked down at its contents she scowled. What the fuck was she meant to find out from some super standard 308 casings; it was exasperating.
"You would have to give me the most popular calibre in the world" Abby snapped at him. She knew it was hardly his fault that the rounds were so common but he was the only person around to take it out on.
"Well, hey, I just found them. Can you tell what kind of gun he used?" Tony replied so cheerfully it irked her a little. Kate had been shot at with these. Couldn't he see that Kate could have so easily been killed?
"A 308" she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes to highlight how stupid his question was.
"What model 308 Abby?" Tony was getting frustrated too now.
"How am I supposed to know?" she snapped back. She knew deep down she was being unreasonable but she couldn't stop. She needed to get this frustration out.
"Because you're the firearms expert" Tony replied, shrugging his shoulders like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"That I am" she agreed, tugging a couple of latex gloves out of the box on the desk to the side of her and putting them on as she spoke. "And when I'm done, I will tell you: the propellant, the primer, the percentage of nickel and copper in the brass, whether or not all three rounds were fired from the same weapon, which you assume, but I can prove or disprove. I will tell you who manufactured the ammo, the batch number, and perhaps where it was sold. I will also, with some degree of accuracy, tell you if it was fired from a lever action, a bolt action, a semi-automatic, or an automatic weapon. However, there is no way in hell I can tell you which of the 87 different .308 models fired those rounds!"
Her voice had got gradually louder throughout her speech and she had been pretty much shouting at the stunned Special Agent. He wasn't the kind to get agitated though and he just stayed calm and waited for her to finish her rant.
"The rounds are Lapua" he responded evenly after she had caught her breath.
"What?"
She hadn't expected him just to carry on the conversation like it hadn't happened. A Tony hug wasn't quite a Gibbs hug but she'd appreciate one right now. Why wasn't he trying to comfort her?
"Lapua made the ammo. Logo's on the round" he clarified, pointing at the evidence bag.
The make didn't really help her very much either. She could try and trace rounds of the same make back to Ari or Hamas but as good as she or McGee was she was sure they would find nothing. These organisations tended to buy on the black market with cash. She had to find a way to trace Ari through the casings though to keep her friends safe.
"He tried to kill Kate…"
It had been hours since she had been told now but it was still pretty much the only thought floating around her head. Tony stepped forward to hug her and she moved towards him but just as she did the sound of a large calibre gun rang out and the window and something to the side of her smashed. Within seconds she was on the floor with Tony on top of her. He had shoved her out of harm's way which was wonderful of him but he was sort of crushing her.
"You hit?" he must have noticed her pained expression.
"No. You're heavy" she groaned. She was not a small woman but her whole body was protesting at his full weight resting on her.
"Sorry" he muttered as he shifted of her, dragging her against a metal lab bench for cover. He drew his gun and glanced around the bench. Another shot rang out and he very quickly jumped back behind the cover of the bench. It was weird that she should feel so unsafe in the place that was usually her safe haven. If Ari was shooting into the lab she was his intended target. It was a chilling thought. First Kate had been targeted and now her.
"I've never been shot at before" she admitted to Tony, "I'm not sure I like it much."
"Abby shhhhh!" he immediately quietened her down. She was just going to carry on talking to try and keep her nerves down because she very much doubted Ari could hear them from outside and even if he could he knew they were behind the bench anyway. Then a familiar voice called out from the entrance to the lab.
"Abby!" It was Gibbs and his voice was laced with concern.
"Boss, down!" Tony shouted. She couldn't see Gibbs but half the lights went out and she heard him moving at speed. More shots rang out before the lab went totally black and Gibbs came crashing down and into the side of her.
"You okay?" he placed his hand over hers and squeezed gently. She nodded and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Physically she was absolutely fine but it had been a close miss. The plasma screen the bullet had shattered all over the bench and floor had been just behind her head. It was hard to actually comprehend what just happened.
"Close off Anacostia Park between the bridges, It's a crime scene" Gibbs ordered Tony. The younger Agent went to stand up but Gibbs dragged him back down again by his leg.
"Hey! What if he has a night-vision scope?" their boss barked at Tony. It was sharp and angry but Abby knew he was only trying to keep his team safe.
"That's a good point boss" he replied sheepishly before crawling off towards the entrance of the lab. No other shots rang out which either meant that Tony was out of view or Ari wasn't sticking round outside and risking getting caught. Once Tony was out the lab Gibbs settled down next to her and placed his gun on the floor by his side.
"I will get you bulletproof glass."
She was sure he was just trying to comfort her but it wasn't really necessary. She wasn't a weak little lamb and although a little shaken she hadn't been totally stirred by what had just happened.
"There's no such thing, Gibbs" the scientist in her pointed out.
"Bullet-resistant glass" he corrected himself. He reached up and started picking at her hair; she presumed he was getting glass out of it because there seemed to be small pieces of glass everywhere. Her lab was a mess and it was going to take hours before she could get back to work in there again. Was that the point? Was he only firing into the lab to prevent them processing evidence or was that just wishful thinking. Ducky was probably right when he told her that Ari was probably aiming for Kate because she was female. Ari was targeting Gibbs' women.
"First he went after Kate and now Ari is after me…" she started to try and talk to her about it but he instantly cut into her.
"I was walking by that window when he fired."
He knew as well as she did that Ari would not have missed Gibbs if he was just on the other side of the street. The terrorist probably didn't even realise Gibbs was there if he was focussing on what was going on inside the lab.
"You're just saying that to make me feel safe" she wasn't going to let him deflect that easily. He pulled her into his arms and cuddled her.
"I'll keep you safe, Abby" he promised before kissing her head. "I'll keep you both safe."
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Kate was bored. It had been over three hours since her stitches had been completed and now she was just expected to lie in a horrible thin bed in a horrible sterile room. She hated hospitals at the best of times but it was even worse when apart from a sore head she felt fine and there didn't seem to be any reason for her to be there. To add to her misery she had two NCIS Agents stood outside her room around the clock and they kept sticking their heads in to check on her. It was kind of humiliating for a one time defence officer to have to lie in bed and be defended.
Gibbs had gone about an hour after her stitches had been finished; when the two Agents turned up to replace him. She understood that he had to go but she wished one of the others could have come and sat with her for a bit. Even Tony would have been better than this boredom although she was sure if he was actually there she'd want him to go again about 2 minutes later.
Ideally she'd want Abby but she wouldn't be much of a protection detail and of course she'd be way too busy in the lab to escape for hours yet. She wondered how Abby was feeling right now. Would it be weird for the quirky Goth to be handling evidence that had been involved in her shooting? She knew Abby would be upset that she had got hurt especially as they had become really good friends. Kate would have never imagined it the first time she had met Abby but the two actually got on incredibly well and in many ways complimented each other's personalities. Abby was outgoing and wild whereas she was quite tense and reserved. They both had been raised by strict catholic families though and Abby understood Kate more than any of the others could. The raven haired forensic scientist was also intriguing and beautiful. Something Kate had started to notice more and more recently even if it didn't really fit with traditional catholic values.
Just as she was getting lost in thought her phone rang from the bedside table. She sat up quickly and grabbed it, checking who was calling before answering.
"Gibbs!" She had never been so happy to have a phone call from him.
"Kate I'm sending an armoured car to escort you back to NCIS" Gibbs got straight to the point. "Your doctor says it's fine and I want you back in this building as soon as possible."
Kate was pleased that she could return and get out of the hospital but she knew something was wrong or Gibbs would have not made her return such a priority.
"What's happened?" she blurted out. She knew he was never keen to say more than necessary but she had a horrible feeling someone was hurt.
"Ari took a shot at Abby through her lab window and Ducky thinks he is targeting the women in my life because he knows it will piss me off the most" Gibbs replied honestly.
Kate processed the words Ari, shot and Abby and felt sick. She knew he had missed but the fact he could have shot Abby just turned her stomach. The Goth was tough but she knew that would have shaken her and she just wanted to be able to give Abby a hug. She needed to be at NCIS with her.
"Tell this escort to hurry the hell up Gibbs."
I know it's only just getting into it and we've had no Abby and Kate interaction yet but it coming next chapter Then after that it's pretty much all Abby and Kate with the others butting in and out!
