A/N: I hope you will enjoy this chapter as I hope you have enjoy the others. I know this one took me a little longer to post, but I'm trying to update my other stories as well. Karin Hansson is mine and my friend Daenar's as well as Cole Graham and Nathan Walker. If you want to know more about Karin Hansson feel free to read "EVER AFTER, AFTER ALL"
Another disclaimer, just to avoid any misunderstandings: I don't intend to imply that Georgetown University discriminates against handicapped people. I just wanted this story to take place in existing locations. The events are entirely fictional and if anyone should feel offended, we sincerely apologize. Also, we are very aware that nowadays, in most places, handicapped people are well integrated into society. However, experience has shown that sadly, this isn't always the case. But we don't want to blame society in general. We know that in the last decades, the situation and general acceptance of handicapped people has improved a lot. So, please, take our tale for what it is: a description of what problems can still occur – but, fortunately, less and less. Let's hope things will continue that way.
This specific note come from the story "EVER AFTER, AFTER ALL." I felt the need to paste it here as well because there will be references to this particular story in this and further chapter so...
Previously on: "Stop fooling Yourself"
Gibbs didn't say a word he just looked at the green eyes that were watching him. Slowly unconsciously almost, he leaned forward and pressed his lips with hers. A simple brush of the lips. He pulled back just enough to be able to long at her, the sight that met him warmed his heart. Abby was smiling back at him. Reassured and more confident, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, leaned in again to press his leaps one more time with hers.
This time, the kiss was more demanding and passionate, Abby parted her lips and he tentatively let his tongue venture inside her warm of her mouth, she moaned slightly in pleasure. They broke the kiss somewhat abruptly in need for air. She pressed her forehead against his, and she fought to regain her breath.
He did the same, and when he finally had regained enough breath to speak he asked, he a thick voice full of desire. "What do you say we get out of here?"
"Gladly." Was her answer.
Chapter Four
Gibbs stood up and slid himself out of the booth they'd been sitting in, he reached out his hand then and helped Abby out of it. He left some bills on their table and they walked together holding hands toward the exit of the coffee shop. Gibbs reached out to opened the door when he saw a familiar face appear. Abby's face lit up immediately when she saw him.
"Harm!"
"A smiled caressed the Captain's lips when he saw his friend. Abby!"
Gibbs watched silently has Harmon Rabb, Jr, kept the door open for a little bit longer as necessary. Then he saw a beautiful woman wheel herself inside the coffee shop followed closely by a golden retriever. She was radiating happiness from inside out. Gibbs understood instantly why the Captain had fallen in love with her, she was really beautiful, but something told him that this wasn't the only reason why Rabb had fallen for her.
Gibbs crouched down as the dog approached him, Wings come here, boy! She call, but the dog didn't seem to care as he was way too happy with the way Gibbs was scratching his him behind his ears. He heard the woman sighed heavily in frustration.
"It's okay," Gibbs said.
"Come on, boy, make some room for your owner."
Normally Karin Hansson would have made a comment about not needing to have more room to be able to maneuver her chair, but when she looked in Gibbs she only saw respect and some admiration, her smile appeared on her lips by way of thank you. Once she was inside Harm let go of the door and went straight to hug the NCIS forensic scientist. After a moment, he pulled back to be able to look at her "You're as beautiful as ever, Abby."
"And you are as handsome as ever!"
"If I didn't know you two better, I would be rising the red flag." Both Gibbs and Karin said in unison. Their comment made everyone laugh. Wings went back to Karin and in no time, he was standing on his back paws, his front paws on her lap licking her face.
Abby giggled at the scene playing before her.
"Yes, Wings, you are a good boy now let me breathe, please, will you."
The Labrador left, pulled back and sat next to her chair then. "Sorry about that." She addressed both Gibbs and Abby.
"No problem," They answered.
"It's because you were laughing." Many dogs have a tendency to act that way when someone's laughing. "Yes, they have, but our buddy here does that quite often with me."
"That's because you are so special" Harm intervened.
"Thanks, sweetheart."
"It's the truth."
"I know, I know." She looked over had him then, and said as she saw her man was still hugging the forensic scientist, Karin added. Harm I love you so much, but you seem to have lost your most basic manners..." At his fiancé's words, the Captain let go of Abby and lifted an eye brow.
"Huh?"
Karin didn't say another word to him and turned her wheelchair to face Gibbs, to introduce herself to him.
"As I see that you seem to be more interested in hugging a friend of yours than to introduce the love of your life, I'll do it myself, Mister Rabb." She told him, her eyes glittering with mischief. Gibbs had to refrain himself from laughing, Rabb will never be bored with her, he thought. Harm smiled back at her and smirked "You still can't wait two minutes, huh." He replied as he came closer to her.
"You know by now, I never like to way, life is too short and too full of interesting things to wait and by the way, why should I have to wait when I can do it myself?" She said, then reached out and placed her hand on his neck and pulled him toward her for a kiss.
"I can't argue with that, can I?"
When she looked at the blue eyed man standing in front of her again, Karin Hansson extended her hand, Gibbs took it in his and immediately noticed the engagement ring. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you, Special agent Gibbs, isn't it?"
Gibbs nodded his head and smiled before he answered, "Nice to meet you, Karin."
The woman in the wheelchair titled her head to the side, surprised by the fact that the man who was shaking her hand already knew her name.
Abby looked at her then, "don't bother, he knows everything or almost everything without anyone telling him."
"Ooookay."
Abby's eyes then caught the ring on her finger. "Oh my god" she exclaimed before looking at Harm and then at Karin again. "Congratulations! Oh and by the way, I'm Abby Sciuto." The forensic scientist introduced herself before she bent over to hug Karin Hansson.
"I know," The woman in the wheelchair replied, I've heard a lot about you, to the point even, I was getting jealous of you."
At Karin's words Abby pulled back. "You don't have to, I promise."
"Relax, Abby..." Harm told her, "Kare is only teasing you, she knows she has no reason to be jealous of you."
Abby Sciuto looked at the woman she was still holding in her arm and noticed to glint of mischief in her eyes.
"She always like that?"
Harm chuckled and answered "Pretty much, yes, one of the reason I fell in love with her." Abby turned her attention back on Rabb again. "And when exactly where you planning to tell that were going to be an husband?"
We were coming to see you actually, but Karin wanted to drop by this Coffee Shop because of a few special memories she has here.
A waiter approached then and hugged Karin warmly and greeted Harm.
"Hey how are the two of you doing? It's been a while since I've seen you both.'
The woman extend her hand in lieu of response. Smiling brightly.
"Way to go, girl!"
"As I see you got to know her better." He said to Harm with a knowing look.
"And I decided to never let her go."
"Excellent!"
The waiter spotted her dog sitting next her, "Hey buddy," He said as he patted the dog's head, Wings' tail wagged in appreciation.
"The usual?" He asked. Both the Captain and Karin nodded their heads, the he turn toward Gibbs and Abby to take their orders.
Abby looked over at Gibbs then, he could see the longing in her eyes, and the wonder. He wouldn't say but the NCIS team leading felt the same kind of longing, Rabb and Hansson were so much in love with one another, and he wonder if he and Abby had that kind of love between them. Anyone who with see him with her would say yes, but he felt a few doubt creeping up inside of him again.
"As I recall you never a man of many words, Gibbs."
"Still not." Gibbs replied simply.
"That's not exactly what I would say," Karin Hansson said then, surprising both men and Abby with her comment. Three pairs of eyes were looking at her now. "First of all, please don't stare at me like that. And secondly, from why I just saw, you are a man of words, Gibbs, except you don't vocalized then, you're more talking with your eyes than with your voice. Which probably means that you are more a man of action. You are definitely not a smooth talker."
The woman was met with stunned silence. Abby was the first to break it. "Wow, you were able to describe Gibbs and you don't even know him. You've only met him five minutes ago. I'm impressed."
"Apparently, I forgot to mention that's a great observer."
"I've not always been that great an observer." She said, her eyes clouding, briefly. A brief moment that didn't escape Gibbs.
Under this happy facade, Karin Hansson was hiding a deep wound, a wound that hadn't completely healed yet. Gibbs was certain of it, Harm had helped her chase her demons, but at least one still haunted her. He had seen it before, he had lived it too. Karin was using the same kind of protection shield as DiNozzo did.
Being cheerful to fool everyone and hide their pain
He watched as Abby let go of her. Harm approached then and placed himself behind the chair and placed his forearms on her shoulders, she instantly grabbed his hand, and slowly leaned backwards, Harm leaned in and kissed her lips softly, then pulled back as softly just enough so that his lips were close to her ear. "I love you, you're safe, he can't do you any harm anymore, sweetheart."
The interacting between them right now only comforted Gibbs in his suspicions, Karin was indeed deeply wounded. Gibbs wondered briefly what or who could have hurt her so much. For some reason he had the gut feeling that whatever it was it wasn't gonna be over soon.
000
A few minutes later, they were sitting together at a table sipping their orders while talking and laughing.
"How long have you been together?" Kare asked suddenly.
The answer wasn't given to her immediately. So she added, "Guys, I might not know you for a long time, but I'm in a wheelchair, I'm not blind and your secret is safe with us."
"There's no need to clarify that with us, Karin, we know that the only different between and us is that you wheel through life and that we walk through it."
"Sorry," she replied simply.
"No need to be sorry," Abby told her, "we understand, we really do."
"To answer your question, we're together since this afternoon, but in love with each other for a very long time I think."
"Yes." Abby replied with a smile on her face.
"What was it that decided you finally give in to your feelings?" Was the next question they had to respond to.
"Long story," Gibbs said.
"The most important thing is that we are together now." Abby answered, reaching for Gibbs' hand.
"How did your love story begun?"
"I hired him to save my job at Georgetown university, and he ended up saving me as well." Kare said smiling.
"We saved each other, actually." Harmon Rabb, Jr. clarified.
Karin Hansson reached for her hot cocoa then and sipped at it. "We did, didn't we?"
"And the best is yet to come." Gibbs told them, which surprised them a little bit.
At ease now, with Gibbs and Abby, Karin gradually relaxed as she felt she had nothing to prove to them, they were like Harm and she had no difficulties to understand why the man she fell in love with had become friend with Abby.
"I wouldn't know what to asked more for. A big part of my dream came true."
"Kids, maybe?" Abby ventured.
"Yeah, then my dream would be complete, but even if we don't become parents' it'll be fine. I'm happy as things are now."
The forensic scientist simply nodded smiling, then she eyed Gibbs for a moment and she could see he was thinking the same thing she did. Karin wanted kids. The woman was happy Abby had no doubt about it, but there was some sort of dark shadow clouding her eyes from time to time. One thing was sure though she had no doubt that Harm loved her. Abby's curious nature crept up again and she made a mental not to talk to Gibbs about it.
"I'm sure you will become parents' one day and you'll both do a wonderful job!" Abigail said convectively.
"Let's hope you're right." Kare and Harm said together.
Wings place his head on Karin's lap which didn't go unnoticed by Gibbs. Harm's fiancé wasn't telling them everything, but Wings did. Harm saw what the dog had done too so he decided to try and change the subject saw she would get her mind off whatever bad thing she was thinking.
"Honey, why don't you tell them why our dog his called Wings?"
"Yes, I would like to hear the story behind its name." Abby said.
A soft smile immediately found its way on her lips and she thought about the day that her dog entered her life. She took another sip of her cocoa and then started to tell her dog's tale.
"When I first arrived here, to Annapolis, things weren't easy, I had trouble to find an apartment and everything, people weren't always comprehensive, something I can call the usual for me though I have to admit that it gradually improved over the years and since Harm put up his little stunt, it's even better, but that's another story. Then when I finally found a place, I felt lonely at night and a bit useless, one day, my best friend Cole Graham, knocks on my door, and he seemed somehow pregnant..." She trailed off.
Her last comment earned her strange looks from Abby and Gibbs while Harmon Rabb just chuckled as he knew the story already.
Kare giggled when she saw the expression of both their faces. Then she went on with her story. "Of course the man wasn't really pregnant, he just looked that way because he was hiding something under his jacket. When he slowly unzipped it, a cute ball of fur was reveled. Cole simply put him on my lab and when I held he liked my nosed so I melted. My friend then told me the puppy story and I was scandalized and I took care of him. I decided to turn around his handicap and use it to make it his strength. They didn't want him because he's ears are a little bigger than normal, that doesn't mean he's less of a dog. People would say stupid things about him and everything just like they can do with humans. The dog won't love you less cause you're different, or because he's different, so, I didn't really get it, people should really learn things and see behind the façade before judging. Anyway once I heard someone say, At the next gust of wind the pup's gone!' And I decided to take the best out of the worst because I pitied the poor thing. I said to myself, 'Well, if the little guy flies away with the wind, his ears will be his wings! So, he's not just different - he's a real wonder!' End of story. That's the story, behind our dog's name.
"That's a really nice and beautiful story."
Abby stood up and walked toward, Karin and Wings. She crouched next to them first hugging Karin with one of her trading hugs before patting the dog's head. Witnessing the scene the two men could help but smile.
Harm noticed that his fiancé wasn't afraid or reluctant anymore when someone wanted to hug her. That was a big step forward.
"You're in good hands with Harm, I'll make a wonderful husband." She told the woman she was hugging.
Kare simply nodded at her words. Then the forensic scientist addressed Wings "...and you are a wonderful and special dog."
As if he had understood everything Wings wagged its tail and started to lick Abby's face. "Yeah, you're a good boy."
Karin wanted to tell her Golden retriever to stop but when she saw how happy Abby seemed to be she didn't instead she said. "He really likes you."
"All animals love her," Gibbs answered. Without thinking he added "What is there not to love about her?" Surprising everyone at the table including himself. He caught Abby staring at him in amazement.
She never would have thought he would say such a thing in public. She stood again and refrained herself from running into his arms. She came back to her place and then leaned in to him to kiss not carrying one damn bit what anyone would be thinking of her of them, she loved Gibbs more than anything in the world and she was proud to show it to the world.
Harm and Karin looked at one another smiling visibly happy for the couple kissing in front of them. Kare leaned in to kiss her man then. Wings pushed its snout against Karin Hansson's hand that was still resting on her lab, but she didn't react as she absorbed in kissing the man she loved, he tried again, but still no reaction, defeated he decided to lay down on the floor and close his eyes soon after he was sleeping.
TBC...
Little additional note: Thanks for reading as always, I'm sorry for the delay, but I've warned you there would be one this time didn't I? I promise I'll to my best to post another update on this story pretty soon.
And as always I would like to apologize for the mistakes and mess ups