Title: Rewriting the Rules 03 – Short Fuse
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)
Rating: FR-13
Category: Post-ep, Romance, Fluff
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs
Spoiler: Short Fuse
Summary: What's broken can be fixed, and rules can be rewritten.

The scent of a spicy tomato sauce greeted her as she let herself in through the unlocked front door. Abby Sciuto heard the quiet sounds of the television accompanied by the low murmur of voices and followed the sound through the living room to the small dining room.

"You boys leave any for me?" She asked with an arched eyebrow, barely managing to suppress a smile at the surprised look on FBI Agent Tobias Fornell's face. Her gaze shifted from him to the man who sat opposite him, the smile breaking through despite her best attempts at hiding it when Leroy Jethro Gibbs gave her a warm smile in welcome.

She walked across to the NCIS agent's side of the table, letting her hand rest on momentarily his shoulder. Her smile grew bigger when he stood and kissed her in greeting before moving into the kitchen to fetch another plate.

Fornell watched, apparently stunned into silence.

"First time I've seen you speechless, Tobias," Gibbs commented as he returned, setting the full plate he carried along with a glass of wine on the table at the place next to his. He helped Abby as she shrugged out of her coat and took it along with her backpack to the hall as she sat down and began to tuck in.

"This is really good," Abby said a few moments later, when Gibbs had returned and Fornell had still yet to regain his ability to speak. "What herbs did you put in the sauce?"

A long pause was broken by Fornell's muttered 'ow' and subsequent glare at Gibbs as the NCIS agent kicked him under the table. "It's not polite to ignore a question, Fornell."

Leaning down to rub his ankle, Fornell watched the couple as they exchanged an amused, openly affectionate smile. "So how long's this been going on?"

"This?" Abby's eyes danced with mischief as she gave him her best attempt at an innocent expression.

"This," Fornell repeated as he straightened, gesturing between them. He arched an eyebrow when she said nothing and Gibbs merely smirked. "Is this a new development or has this been going on for a while...?"

"A while," Abby answered eventually. A smile lit up her face when Gibbs reached over and covered her hand with one of his own. "It's not exactly a secret but we're not shouting it from the rooftops so if you'd be discreet about it..."

Fornell nodded. "Discreet, sure." He continued studying them for a few moments, his gaze shifting from Abby to Gibbs. After a while, he shook his head, a small smile beginning to appear at the edges of his mouth. "I knew there was something different about the place."

Gibbs shrugged. "I never said you were wrong."

Rolling his eyes at his long-time friend, Fornell joined Abby in continuing to eat, enjoying the light-hearted small talk that ensued. He continued to observe the couple throughout the meal, though, and decided that what he saw pleased him.

A few hours later, deciding not to overstay his welcome and give the couple some privacy, Fornell let Gibbs walk him to the door after accepting an enthusiastic hug from the raven-haired forensic specialist and accepting an open invitation to join them again for dinner and bring his daughter, Emily, with him as Gibbs looked on and rolled his eyes.

He stopped on his way out of the door, turning back to look at Gibbs speculatively. "She's good for you."

Gibbs didn't try to deny it. "I know."

"You gonna keep hold of this one?"

"I'm gonna try."

Fornell heaved a sigh of forced disappointment. "Well, if you ever change your mind and need someone to take her off your hands..."

Gibbs' expression was calm but his eyes flashed momentarily as he stared at Fornell evenly. "Ex-wives, I'll share with you, Tobias, but Abby is completely off limits. Understood?"

"Received and understood." Fornell held his hands up and grinned at the look on Gibbs' face. "Can't say I blame you. She's a keeper."

The expression on Gibbs' face said he didn't disagree. Fornell started walking down the path towards his car, looking back over his shoulder to wave goodbye. He noticed Abby had joined Gibbs at the door, their figures silhouetted by the light in the hall beside them.

He watched from his car as the couple kissed before closing the door and found himself feeling a pang of envy. Still, he wished them all the luck in the world and couldn't blame Gibbs for wanting to keep her to himself.

When Gibbs returned from showing Fornell to the door, he found Abby leaning against the doorway to the living room, a brown envelope in her hands. She smiled at him brightly, a sure sign she was up to something.

"You got something you want to show me, Abs?" He asked, stalking towards her. He couldn't bring himself to care what was in the envelope, his mind already focused on other methods of wiping the smile from her face.

The dishes were washed thanks to Fornell, dried thanks to himself and put away thanks to the woman in front of him. The front door was locked, the movie he'd been considering watching was already halfway through and he was sure he'd be able to distract Abby from the documentary she'd been talking about watching.

"I've got a lot I want to show you," Abby quipped with a suggestive smirk. "But first I want you to do something for me."

"Anything," he murmured, covering the distance between them until he was standing as close to her as he could, leaning in just a touch more so he could press his lips against hers. "All you have to do is ask."

He should have known her request wouldn't be usual – even for Abby – at the glint that entered her eyes. He watched, curious, as she opened the envelope. He could see it was a magazine in her hands but couldn't see the front page at first, not until she turned it over in her hands and let him see the glossy image splashed across the cover of the NCIS recruitment magazine.

Her voice husky, her eyes dancing playfully, Abby held the magazine out to him and made her request. "Can I have your autograph?"

Gibbs grabbed the magazine out of her hands, staring at it in surprise for a few moments, allow her ample time to slip passed him, her laughter following her up the stairs.

It didn't take him long to follow, the magazine falling to the floor, temporarily forgotten.

End.