NCIS and all of its wonderful characters – no they don't belong to me. Sigh, they never will. Some of them do belong to each other, though, don't you agree?
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (sequel to Sawdust and Gunpowder) – Boundaries get crossed and bridges get burned. Will Abby and Gibbs ever get on the same page?
Rating – M. Not for kiddos. Really.
FWandFS (Fair Winds and Following Seas): Second Fanfic in this Fandom. Have written others as FeliciaMaplewood for Scarecrow and Mrs. King…Yes, I am dating myself by admitting that.
Chapter 4 Paying the Piper
Gibbs felt his stomach clench and his chest tighten as he walked Abby to her door. She continued to prattle on excitedly, happily proud that they had pulled off their undercover assignment. So much had changed in the past few hours, boundaries were crossed and bridges burned. He couldn't believe the explosive chemistry between them. He could still feel the electric current from her just standing close to him.
Damn. He really screwed the pooch this time.
How the hell was he going to reset the clock to yesterday? Because he had to. No matter what happened back at that complex, they had to leave it there. Rule 12. He knew better. What the fuck had he been thinking?
If he had been quiet, Abby hadn't noticed. Gibbs was always quiet. She turned the key in the lock and pulled him into her apartment with a husky laugh. Pushing the door shut, she backed him up against the dark violet wall. Abby then twined her arms behind his neck and whispered in his ear, "So…coffee, tea or me?" She gently bit his earlobe.
"Abby…" Gibbs pulled down gently on her forearms, leaning his head back. His heart rate had begun to quicken just from her nearness. She was too much temptation.
"Mm-hmm?" She murmured silkily as she traced the corded length of his neck with her lips, pressing a kiss at the hollow of his throat.
"Abbs!" He said sternly. He needed her to stop. Now. Before he forgot why.
She pulled back her head, startled at his tone. Her green eyes met his in confusion. She let her hands fall as they rested uncertainly on his chest.
"Gibbs?" Her voice cracked.
"You need to stop." His voice was firm and his jaw clenched.
She pulled away altogether and wrapped her arms around her waist, but remained just a step away, still within his arm's reach. She looked so wounded, it took all he had not to pull her back into his arms to reassure her. It was all his fault, after all.
"What the hell, Gibbs?" she whispered. Her mouth looked vulnerable.
He swallowed hard. It was time to pay the piper and this was not going to be easy. "We gotta talk, Abbs."
Abby's laugh was brittle. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs wants to talk? This can't be good." She backed away and turned away from him crossing her living room.
The room was like her, eclectic and comfortable, striking and yet calming. Modern funk mixed with pieces of Victorian architectural salvage in an oddly cohesive harmony. He watched her sink onto her velvet settee still keeping her arms wrapped around her. Her gaze fixated on a design on the worn Oriental rug that covered the floor. He scanned the room with its countless photos in their antique frames, buying time to find the right words to say. Words weren't his forte.
He sighed, "It was a mistake. I shouldn't have involved you in this."
Her forehead furrowed in confusion. "Why? You think they didn't believe us?"
"No. They bought the act alright." Gibbs rubbed his hand behind his neck. He couldn't find the words he needed to save himself.
"I wasn't acting." She whispered and shrugged, "I'm not built that way. I can't lie. You know that."
He did. Abby had a face like an open book. Perhaps she could play poker, but when it came to her heart, it was always on her sleeve.
She read more into his prolonged silence than he intended. Her face was averted when she said in a low voice, "But for you, it was just an act. Is that it?"
Gibbs stared at her from across the room, berating himself for being the cause of her hurt. She was shattered by the belief that he had faked interest in her. But how could he tell her truth and then work with her every day? She was young enough to be his daughter for God's sake – he never should have entertained the kind of thoughts about her that he'd been having all day. He felt frustrated rage within himself that he had allowed this to happen.
He watched as she processed her thoughts chewing on her lower lip. She, too, was moving from hurt to anger.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Abby accused him.
"We were being watched. We were on a job." His rationale was cool and succinct.
"Not in the closet we weren't." She countered with her eyes narrowed.
He looked away, and felt his cheeks flush darkly.
"Well?" She prodded at his continued silence.
"What do you want me to say, Abbs?" Gibbs lashed out in frustration with more than a little shame. "It's been a while."
Abby paled. "So I'm just another warm body to you?" She snapped.
His eyes glittered as they met hers, meeting anger with anger. "No. Most women I meet don't grind up against me in the dark."
Abby flinched as if she had been struck. "What – you think I pop my cork for any guy I see, is that it, Gibbs?" Her voice shook slightly in outrage. How dared he imply she was promiscuous? Anger gave her courage, even if it was only temporary. She shot up from the sofa and crossed the room swiftly, facing him with her hands on her hips.
Gibbs didn't reply. It was better to see her angry than hurt in any case. God knows he deserved it.
She held him accountable with her emerald gaze. "Look me in the eye and tell me it was all an act for you."
His eyes held steady. "It was a job, Abigail." His voice sounded hollow, even to his own ears. His jaw clenched as he lied to her.
"Get out." She whispered as she turned her back and headed towards her kitchen. She never looked over her shoulder to acknowledge him. She only knew he complied when she heard the click of the door behind him. Her breath shuddered out in disbelief.
Miserably, she pulled open the door to the freezer and grabbed a spoon. Ben and Jerry would be her only male companions tonight. Damn Gibbs to hell.
TBC
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