Chapter 4

Tender, gallant, nurturing.

These were not words that most would associate with the great David Rossi. Mainly because he had learned early in his career that being abrasive, disciplined and focused got the job done quicker and cleaner. Emily Prentiss had once referred to him as a fussy neat-freak who never leaves anything out of place; even colour-coding his notes (blue pen for evidentiary items, red pen for supposition and theory) He was not run by emotions but was in fact prone to them. And when it came to Abby, his emotions could rage out of control.

As they entered the foyer of his home, she stopped and looked around.

"Not too shabby, Super Agent" she quipped.

He smiled to himself as he led her through to the spacious living area with a huge kitchen at the side. A large staircase wound its way to the second floor at the left of the living area. Looking up Abby noted that rather than disappearing to a hall as most second floors do, Rossi's second floor simply consisted on a mezzanine type area that seemed to house 3 more rooms and an open air library, which overlooked the living area. Itching to explore she wandered over to the island in the kitchen where Rossi stood pouring water into an old fashioned stove top kettle. He had watched her looking at his home and wondered what she was thinking. Too big? Too flashy? He was should have been amazed that what she thought mattered to him. But he wasn't.

"I need to call Gibbs" she said.

"Soon" Rossi answered coming out from the kitchen. "First, we get you safe and settled. I've put some tea on, so while it's brewing I'll show you where you're sleeping"

Rossi almost tripped when Abby murmured, "You mean I'm not sleeping with you?"

He looked back at her, gauging her reaction as he said, "Don't you think you're a little too young for me"

Abby burst into genuine laughter as she stepped forward and hugged him. Looking up at him she noted simply, "You're definitely not too old for me"

Rossi put his hands on her shoulders intending to push her away, but instead just held her in place. Leaning in close, he kept his gaze on her and noticed how round her eyes got when he moved even closer. Whispering in her ear, "What would people think?" he surrendered to the need to kiss her.

On the cheek. Like a friend would do.

"This way" he announced, turning from her and heading to the stairs.

Abby was left stunned, amused and speechless. As she followed Rossi up the stairs, she took note of his firm butt and smiled. The feeling she had been battling with since the day she met this man finally got its vindication. After so long of ignoring it, she now had to agree; she definitely had a major thing for Agent Rossi.

What would people think indeed!

The room Rossi showed her was spacious and came with its own ensuite.

A large queen size bed dominated the room. The walls were a neutral cream colour and offset the dark wood trimmings to perfection. The headboard, side tables and wardrobe doors were also made of dark wood. Lamps adorned both side tables, and the main light was a chandelier made from a graceful waterfall effect of crystal glass. A bookcase adorned one wall while a vanity adorned the other. Two comfy armchairs were placed near the bookcase, close enough to the old fashioned fireplace that faced the bed. Abby tried to swallow. This was one of the most beautiful rooms she had been in. It could have been a penthouse suite straight out of a top quality hotel. She was itching to try the bed, but was aware of Rossi moving behind her, placing her bag in the wardrobe.

"The bathroom has a shower. My room is right next door. If you need anything just let me know. I'm going to check on the tea and start dinner."

One last look and he was walking out the door.

"Rossi" Abby called.

He turned.

"Thanks" she shrugged.

"Anytime" he smiled and closed the door after him.

Once he left Abby gave into the temptation and threw herself on the bed. She was immediately swamped by such soft comfort that she had to submerge the groan that almost escaped her. Before she got too comfortable, she pulled her phone from her jeans pocket and called Gibbs. She knew that he would have heard about the damage to her home and that he would now be furious that he had not been able to get hold of her due to her turning her phone off earlier that night. In fact she wouldn't be surprised if Gibbs was at her home arguing with Aaron right now.

She smiled as she waited for Gibbs to pick up. Her relationship with Gibbs may not be as close as her one with Aaron, but when Abby had noticed the looks that Rossi had been directing her way she was glad for Gibbs' strong shoulder and keen ear. He had listened to her bemoaning the fact that a decent guy had looked her way and she felt powerless to act on it because of the baggage she carried from Hunter's actions. Gibbs had listened and then advised her to get up and try again if she wanted a chance at happiness. He had also warned her about the rumours of Rossi's love life that circulated the FBI and had drifted down to NCIS. Gibbs liked Rossi enough, but if pressed he would say that he didn't trust him with Abby's heart. The legendary profiler needed to prove himself. Maybe Rossi thought he was keeping his cool, but Abby knew that he was nuts about her. And the dawning realisation that she was half way in love with him was something she really wanted to share with Gibbs. Of course, now wouldn't be the best time...

"Abby!" Gibbs startled her by yelling.

"Hey Gibbs. You'll never guess where I am"

"How about you guess where I am?"

"At my house"

"Your insight is amazing!"

"Don't be sarcastic Gibbs, that's my job"

"Abby! I'm standing in what used to be a perfectly good lounge, you're off somewhere and your best buddy here is chewing me out because of some drama that apparently I knew about ... and you want me to check my sarcasm?"

Abby had to give him that.

"Where the hell are you?!"

"If you would stop shouting I will tell you"

"Abby!"

She blew out a breath and quickly filled Gibbs in on the nights events, concluding with her guest room at Rossi's.

"You're staying at Rossi's?" Gibbs asked in a quieter tone, obviously not wanting others to hear him. "The FBI's resident Lothario? Are you insane?"

Ok, that was a bit rude, she thought.

"Gibbs, it's not like he's about to ravish me. Though, you know, if he tried..."
"Abby stop! That's an image I really don't need, especially when I would rather be throttling you for having your phone turned off. Do you know how mad I am right now?"

"Gibbs" Abby used a soothing tone, "you're only mad because you got a scare. However, now that you know I'm okay you can go back to being your usual sunny self."

She could almost hear Gibbs' eyes rolling in his head.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he finally asked.

"I'm fine. Rossi has been the perfect host. His house is a dream. He's making tea and cooking dinner" After a beat she whispered, "Don't tell Ducky about the tea"

Gibbs laughed at that. The good doctors' love of tea was well known to the NCIS team, and given a chance Ducky would launch into an epic story about teas that would hold the listener captive for at least an hour.

"Come see me as soon as you get to the office in the morning. I want to see for myself that you're ok"

"Fine. I'll need to head back to my place after work tomorrow to collect some things"

"That should be ok. The police have finished up their work here. I'm meeting Aaron over at the BAU offices to go over this Foyet thing, see if there's a connection"

"I hope there isn't, but my gut tells me there is"

"We'll keep you safe Abby"

"I know" she whispered. "I have never doubted that"

"Good" Gibbs ended the call.

Abby took a moment to take stock of her situation as she lay on the bed. Foyet could be back in circulation, he may have targeted her, her best friend and her mentor were having a closed door meeting about the situation, she was staying under the same roof as Rossi, and the super hot agent was downstairs right now cooking her a meal.

Yep, she smiled as she rose from the bed, life sure was quirky.

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"I'll only be a few moments, Aaron. I'll meet you at your office and we can go to dinner from there"

"Maybe it would be better if I just picked you up from your place." Aaron replied, his voice muffled due to the odd angle Abby was attempting to hold her cell phone at while rummaging for her house keys.

"No. I told you, I will be a few minutes. The rate you're going I'll be at your office door before we even finish this conversation"

"Ok, Princess" Aaron said. "See you when you get here"

As Abby closed her phone she reflected on the last two weeks. Things had calmed down to the point that Abby herself wondered if her gut instinct had been off about Foyet. Aaron and Gibbs had drawn blanks in their unofficial investigation, Garcia had discovered nothing in her snooping that would even suggest that Foyet was lurking in the shadows, and the police had found nothing in her home the night the cocktail had been thrown through the window to indicate that it was anything more than a prank. Abby sighed as she pushed her key into the lock. She had spent four wonderful days under Rossi's roof and the two had struck up a deeper relationship. She had known him for a couple of years; Aaron had introduced them shortly after Rossi had come out of retirement to join the team. Abby had instantly been struck with the older profiler. They had gotten close enough to enjoy beer, pizza, and a movie at her home every month on a Friday night and their friendship was a comfortable, easy one. Living together for nearly a week had only enhanced that. But now Abby knew that Rossi wanted more, and she was a little worried that she may not be able to give him what he wanted. Nonetheless, she wasn't about to let her fear stand in the way of trying again. Just as Gibbs had told her to do.

She swore under her breath when the door refused to open. Turning the key again she shoved a little harder and finally the door budged. As she entered the small hall way she placed her work bag on the small table beside the door. Kicking the door closed and crossing to the mirror on the opposite wall, Abby took a moment to look at herself. She wouldn't have time to change for dinner, so what she had worn to work would have to do. The simple black pants and navy blue top would do fine. She and Aaron very rarely dined in fancy restaurants, preferring to eat in more Ma and Pa cafes. She smiled as she thought of her long-time friend. He had been a constant source of strength and encouragement to her many times in her life, but never more than these last couple of weeks. Not once had he questioned her feeling about Foyet. He had simply decided that Foyet had learned to hide a whole lot better than they expected.

A slight movement from the hall closet behind her caught her attention. As she continued to look in the mirror she saw a foot in the doorway of the closest, the door slowly opened ... and then nothing.

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