Fathers' Day

A/N: I should point out I've never been to DC, and while Google is a wonderful thing (and so are friends who've been there), it's my fault entirely if I get anything wrong, and I'm deliberately playing fast and loose with some of it so don't shoot me!


Chapter 3 – Revisiting

"Want me to come with you?" Gibbs offered gently, pressing a kiss to her hair, his arm wrapping more firmly around her, determined she wasn't going to do this alone.

Abby leaned into him gratefully. "I'd love some company, Gibbs, but... you don't wanna spend your Sunday like this, d'ya? Don't you have a basement to keep company?"

He inclined his head, biting back a smile. "I'm sure it'll survive without me for one day."

She smiled briefly, hesitating before asking him quietly, "If you're sure?" Looking down, she twisted her fingers together in a familiar nervous gesture.

Tilting her chin up so he could see her eyes, Gibbs tried to inject as much reassurance into his tone as he could. "Hey, I got time, Abbs... however much you need."

He hadn't seen her this unsure of herself in a while. For such a strong woman, Abby could be very uncertain when she was hurting and it sometimes took a lot of cajoling to help her out of it.

He was rewarded with a slow pleased smile as she searched his eyes. "Then yes please, Gibbs. That'd be great."

There was no one else she'd rather spend time with on a difficult day.

Many times over the past year she'd wanted Tony's warm and perceptive company, needing to be with someone who could cheer her up, someone she could lean on and who understood her, knew when she needed to talk and when she didn't... or when Ducky's quiet wisdom and sympathy were just what the doctor ordered.

But mostly it was this man she'd needed... this man who could calm or comfort her with just a few words or a simple hug.

Standing, Gibbs scanned the crowds in the park before looking down at her seated figure and reaching out a hand. "Where d'ya want to go first, Abby?"

Gathering up her bag and parasol, she took his hand and stood, drawing in a deep breath as she considered. "Well... I haven't really gone through the rest of FDR's park yet, so, umm, let's finish up here first, shall we?" She glanced at him and he squeezed her hand, encouraging her to go on. "And then maybe we could head for the Tidal Basin and on into Jefferson, and see how far we get from there?"

"Suits me." He shaded his eyes as he looked in the direction she was pointing. "Is there coffee in that circuit somewhere?"

Abby chuckled, enjoying the impish twinkle in his blue eyes. "Well, you won't last an entire morning without one, that's for sure."

"And you will?" he pointed out, smirking, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Hmm, good point. This is usually a Caf!Pow free zone so it might be difficult... you will catch me if I faint from going cold turkey, won't ya?"

"I'll try... if my back doesn't give out."

Punching him lightly on the arm in response to his teasing, she narrowed her eyes in a mock glare as he grinned, holding his hands up in surrender. "You calling me heavy, Gibbs?"

She loved it when Gibbs was in a playful mood, even if she suspected he was doing it this time to try and help her out of her melancholy mood.

Abby looped her arm through his as they set off through the rest of the FDR Memorial Park, strolling past the statue of Eleanor and into the other outdoor 'rooms' depicting FDR's presidencies in sculptures and bronze panels.

Abby's typical bounce and sparkle was understandably subdued this morning but as they walked, Gibbs saw her gradually begin to relax, the strain less visible on her lovely face.

For her part, Abby could feel her sad mood easing in his company. Today had the feeling of being one of her see-saw days, when she could swing from feeling relatively normal and cheerful to zooming straight down into the doldrums in the space of a few minutes.

As they moved through the different rooms, Abby related anecdotes from her dad's previous visits, pointing out spots where Ben loved to sit and watch the world go by, or favorite statues he'd make a point of visiting each year.

Abby paused by some statues, reading the quotations carved into the red granite, some familiar to both of them but others more obscure. She pointed out quotes her dad enjoyed, telling Gibbs the stories behind why they were particular favorites, and he was happy to listen to her husky voice and reciprocate with a few tales of his own.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him over towards one statue. "Look, Gibbs, here's another one he liked and it's a favourite of mine too."

When he squinted slightly at the smaller inscription, she couldn't resist teasing him. "Did you bring your glasses?"

He gave her a mild glare, but the smirk gave away him away and he heard her much loved throaty giggle break out for the first time today.

"You read it then, save an old Marine straining his eyes."

"Don't give me old... " she scoffed, smiling at him. "Although I'm so gonna put those glasses on a chain one day so you can wear 'em round your neck... you'd look very studious."

He snorted. "Not unless you want your Caf!Pow deliveries to dry up."

"You wouldn't?..." When he merely quirked an eyebrow at her, she squinted at him suspiciously. "You would... Okay, moving on... I'll read it for you then. 'A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.' Isn't that just totally cool?"

"I like it. It's also you and Gloria..." he paused, grinning. "To a T."

Groaning, she rolled her eyes, "That's terrible, Gibbs. Are you channelling your inner Tony?"

"Don't tell him... I'd never hear the end of it. It's true though." When she looked askance at him, he inclined his head towards the statue, "About you and your mom."

"Oh... Mm, I guess so..." she didn't sound convinced but then acknowledged. "Well, certainly Gloria."

He slung an arm round her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple as they moved off, "You too, Abbs."

Whenever Abby was in an uncertain mood or feeling particularly emotional, one of the casualties was her self confidence and it didn't take much for Abby to succumb to self doubt... far too often for his liking.

As they neared the plaza with the timeline of significant dates in FDR's life engraved on the steps, Abby pulled him to a halt, folding her parasol shut. Motioning Gibbs to face her, she grasped his shoulders, smiling up into his face.

"Now then, you gotta close your eyes when you turn round... no peeking."

That earned her an eyeroll but he did as she asked when he turned round, but protested when she tried to hand him her folded parasol. "I need my hands, Gibbs. Just suck it up, it's only for a minute... and you look very fetching."

He grumbled under his breath but took it, shaking his head at himself. Only for Abby would he stand here in the park with his eyes closed and a lacy black parasol clutched in his hands.

Wondering idly what she needed her hands for, he jumped slightly when Abby stepped behind him and reached round to cover his eyes with her hands.

Gibbs snorted. "Don't you trust me to keep my eyes closed, Abbs?"

"Not sure I do trust a sneaky sniper, no. Although there's now a flaw in my master plan as I can't see the steps to test you on the dates."

Without her boots, Abby was a few inches shorter than Gibbs and couldn't reach his face that easily from behind, his broad shoulders making it more of a stretch. Stepping closer to peer over his shoulder meant she was virtually plastered against his back... and she'd take any excuse to touch him.

The feel of his warm skin and the brush of the strands of silver hair hanging over his forehead against her fingers were enough to get her pulse rate spiking.

And was she imagining things or was that a slight hitch in his breathing as she touched him?

Laughingly questioning him on the dates engraved on the steps, Gibbs got just about every one right, even distracted as he was by the warm press of the body behind him and the slender hands resting on his face.

"Not bad at all, Gibbs..." she admitted, resting her chin on his shoulder, relishing his warm presence. "Although maybe you have an unfair advantage... coz you're a lot nearer those dates than I am." She broke away laughing as he turned and tried to tickle her, and she snatched her parasol from him and took off down the path.

TBC...

A/N: This chapter was getting a bit long so I split it... *ducks*... another update soon.